Enacting Feminisms in Academia

PhD thesis - School of Education - Faculty of HumanitiesIn an attempt to add the voices of African feminist educators to the narrative field, and to address the critique that feminist discourses have generally been couched in theoretical abstraction, this study, which was conducted with five university women educators from various parts of Southern Africa, explores the enactment of feminist pedagogies in English language classrooms. The study was guided by the principles of feminist research methodologies, which advocate sensitivity to the subjective, emotional and biographic factors that shape the researcher and researched. Drawing from a suite of data sources, which comprised autobiographical and biographical narratives, lecture observations and interviews the study explores how the social variables of race, class, gender, politics, religion, etc. have influenced the participants’ feminist and language identity formation, and by extension how these inform their teaching of English from a feminist perspective, in terms of What they teach; How they teach, and Why they teach the curriculum content that they do. Taking the view that the personal is political and potentially pedagogical, the study provides a cursory commentary on the participants’ childhood and early adulthood, with the intention of exploring the potential a retrospective gaze of their identity formation has in terms of how they frame interpersonal relations with students and colleagues, and the enactment of their teaching identities. Identifying for more nuanced investigation the study tracks the trajectories of the participants’ coming to feminist consciousness, with a special focus on their adoption of project identities which they enact through their theorizing and teaching of English from a feminist perspective. Given their subscription and investment in narratives of emancipation that subvert social injustices and repressive domination, the study explores, at length, the complexities of feminist teacher identity in relation to the themes of difference, dialogue, and epistemologies of experience, all of which invariably encompass the overarching theme of feminist teacher authority. Acknowledging the slippery terrain of teacher and student identity calibrations, the study differentiates three ways in which authority is generally conceived of in feminist pedagogy, viz. authority versus nurturance, authority as authorship, and authority as power. In discussing the authority versus nurturance I argue for unhinging the female teacher from traditional associations of her with care-giver and intellectualised mammy. Urging for recognition of the woman teacher as female but non-maternal, I argue for a recontextualised and reconceptualised understanding of the female teacher – one that foregrounds her capability of offering critical intellectual nurturance. In exploring the delineation authority as authorship, which entails the mutual sharing of teacher-student personal experience in relation to broader public and academic discourses, the study cautions against the potential for personal epistemology to circulate within the realm of the familiar, narcissistic and sentimental, in the absence of meaningful critical and contextual pedagogic and educative relevance. In this regard, I suggest the consideration of two pertinent questions: viz. i) is there a shared assumption that the personal is good and the impersonal bad? and ii) given that other discourses of the personal are operating in the feminist classroom, exactly which personal are we referring to when we seek to validate the epistemology of experience? I argue that the pedagogic and educative worth of both teacher and students’ personal disclosures need to be subject to critical, analytical, and productive reflection to assess their value as knowledge. Critiquing enclaves of feminist pedagogical scholarship that suggest divesting the classroom of teacher authority as a way of rendering it more democratic, the discussion on authority as power agitates for an unmasking of the inevitable pedagogic and educative authority that the feminist teacher wields in the classroom. Through empirical evidence it illustrates variants of teacher authority that operate in the classroom and supports Gore’s (2002), proposition to develop a theory of pedagogy and power by acknowledging that: pedagogy is the enactment of power relations between teacher, student and other significant partners; bodies are the objects of pedagogical power relations, and in pedagogy, different differences matter; the kind of knowledge produced in pedagogy interacts with the institutional site and the techniques of power employed there; and pedagogy proceeds via a limited set of specific techniques of power. The study concludes with a theoretical and methodological reflective synthesis. The theoretical synthesis presents the central lines of argument that emerged from the issues investigated. The methodological reflective synthesis presents the participants’ comments on the validity of the study and the value that accrued to them by virtue of participating in the study

Pedagogy of refuge : education in a time of dispossession

Despite its chequered history in relation to human rights issues, South Africa has been playing host to peoples displaced and dispossessed by geographies of anger and war, poverty, economic meltdown and other human rights atrocities. Perceiving South Africa as a sanctuary, there has been a steady wave of immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees coming to the country in search of better personal and professional prospects. Qualified teachers have been among the sizeable cohort of professionals seeking a new home in South Africa. This article reports on qualitative research, which comprised a sample of seven refugee teachers. It provides pen portraits of their bio/geographical pre-flight, flight and settlement experiences as they emerged from individual interview data. The article draws on theoretical insights from postcolonial theory, deconstructionist conceptions of hospitality and critical feminist notions of communities of practice to explore the personal and professional experiences of these teachers who hold part-time employment at a private school. Some of the participants also hold temporary posts at public schools in Johannesburg. Proceeding from the contention that teachers frame their identities in relation to how they feel about themselves politically, professionally, and emotionally the article explores the dialectic of refugee teacher as a guest and a host in classrooms in a foreign country. It argues that notwithstanding the non-negotiable imperative that the rights of refugee children remain high on the national redress educational agenda; of equal importance is the necessity to be cognisant of refugee teachers who are teaching in the South African education system

Critical pedagogies of place : educators' personal and professional experiences of social (in)justice

Participating in the education system of a foreign country, or within a new political dispensation presents various challenges for teachers. Understanding the challenges that teachers face as a result of relocation to new geographical and political contexts urges analyzing the contexts, which influence teachers' personal and pedagogic identities. Drawing on Buell's (1995) insights on place and identity; and Fraser's (2008) conceptions of social justice, this paper explores how teachers from South Africa, India, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo reinvent their identities in order to enact their professional and personal lives within different geo-political and socio-cultural contexts

Challenges faced by teachers living with HIV

Abstract: As the most stigmatised epidemic in history - Human immunodeficiency virus and Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) has proven to be a fierce challenge to humanity. The stigmatisation associated with the HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to destroy societies worldwide. The present study was designed to explain the challenges faced by teachers living with HIV. Transformational and ethics of care theories framed this research study. A narrative research design rooted in social constructivism was used to gather qualitative data. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis; descriptive, process and emotion codes were used to interpret the data. Key findings speak to affected teachers’ social exclusion, stigmatisation and discrimination, inadequate care and support, physical debilitation as well as psychological stress and depression. All these conditions resulted in teachers being unable to perform their tasks at optimal level in South African schools

Stigma and discrimination amongst teachers living with HIV/AIDS

Abstract: Since its inception, the causes of HIV/AIDS have mainly been attributed to indecent and even evil behaviour and has seen victims labelled as social deviants. The origin of HIV/AIDS and its cure has been the primary focus of research in this field. This study examined the stigmatisation and discrimination teachers living with HIV/AIDS, experienced. A narrative inquiry design, located within the interpretative paradigm was used to mine qualitative data via narrative interviews. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse data, specifically descriptive, process and emotion codes, to develop themes from the data. The key findings indicated that stigmatisation of and discrimination against teachers living with HIV/AIDS are exacerbated by stereotypical beliefs, fear associated with the disease’s incurability, perceptions about teachers as sources of information, and other social constructs around the pandemic. This results in these teachers being ostracised, labelled as inferior, and stripped of their status. This leaves them feeling worthless. Recommendations are made for the intensification of consciousness- raising about openness, trust and dialogue to overcome the stigmatisation and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS, reducing the myth about the silence and shame around HIV/AIDS, and continuous education on reducing new infections, and supporting those who are infected

Enacting Social Justice in Education through Spiritual Leadership

Promulgated by Nelson Mandela in December 1996, South Africa’s post-Apartheid Constitution draws on the Bill of Rights to affirm the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom. As an emerging democracy, South Africa further seeks to address issues of social justice and equality in education through the South African Schools Act of 1996. This Act sets out policies and practices intended to redress past injustices and support the rights of learners, educators and parents. Drawing on critical feminist theory, this study explored the experiences of female educational leaders in South Africa’s disadvantaged rural school communities. This qualitative research adopted a case studies research design. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and observations. The aims of this paper are: (i) to investigate the principles of social justice and equity as expressed through spiritual leadership; and (ii) to interpret these principles in relation to education policies. Identifying connectedness and spirituality as prerequisites for spiritual leadership, the study found that spiritual leadership is a means through which social justice leadership can be enacted. While the South African Schools Act upholds the notion that public schools promote democracy through respect for all and a tolerance of diverse religious beliefs, this paper does not conflate spirituality with religion. It instead, explores alternative interpretations which explore spiritual leadership and restorative justice as vehicles through which equity and social justice can be understood and enacted.   https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.82.3.232

Perceptions of school principals and experiences of disclosure of teachers living with HIV

Abstract: The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of school principals and the experiences of disclosure amongst teachers living with HIV. Due to HIV/AIDS-related stigma being prevalent in many societies today, many infected people would rather not disclose their status than deal with negative labelling and stereotyping. This study utilised narrative inquiry as a qualitative research design that is known to be a way of understanding experiences. Data was elicited via narrative interviews from a purposeful sample of ten principals and eight teachers living with HIV who were selected through network sampling from Gauteng public urban schools. The study found that stigma, fear of job loss and gossip deterred teachers from disclosing their HIV status. In some instances, they disclosed due to needing support, which principals provided in the form of counselling, and also to explain absenteeism. Although principals supported disclosure of teachers’ HIV status so that they could initiate care, confidentiality concerns showed that disclosure could further worsen stigma and the culture of discrimination and moral judgement that teachers living with HIV faced. The study recommends on-going development of caring relationships to deepen the understanding of the experiences of teachers living with HIV. Nondisclosure of HIV status stands in the way of building caring relationships between teachers and principals. There is still a need to create safe, supportive and empathetic environments in schools for teachers living with HIV

Nigerian secondary school teachers’ perception towards teacher leadership

This qualitative research explores how secondary school teachers in Nigerian public secondary schools perceive teacher leadership. It determines the extent to which teachers participate in leadership activities within and outside schools. Data for this study was elicited through an analysis of documents and semi-structured interview. The participants included three principals, three vice principals, nine teachers and a Tutor General/Permanent Secretary of an Education District in Lagos, Nigeria. This paper highlights the benefits of teacher leadership and the roles teachers play in school improvement. The findings from the study supported the notion provided by theorists that administrators and teachers have vague conceptions about the meaning of teacher leadership. It also showed that the level of collaboration among teachers was low in relation to academic matters and high in matters related to extracurricular and social activities. Some of the barriers militating against teacher leadership that the findings highlighted included: inadequate trust between teachers and administrators, school norms and beliefs, micro- Tola Olujuwon Dept of Education Leadership & Management University of Johannesburg Auckland Park, Kingsway Campus Johannesburg, 2006, South Africa Email: [email protected] Juliet Perumal Dept of Education Leadership & Management University of Johannesburg Auckland Park, Kingsway Campus Johannesburg, 2006, South Africa Email: [email protected] 242 politics and teacher’s attitude towards work. The finding in this research lends credence to studies conducted in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia on teacher leadership which confirmed that if teacher leadership is to thrive in, schools teachers must work collaboratively and their roles and responsibilities must be distributed within the schools

Teachers’ responsibilities as leaders inside and outside Nigerian secondary schools

This qualitative multiple case study explored the responsibilities of teacher leaders in the classroom, within the school, outside the school and in the community in the context of Nigerian public secondary schools. It aimed to determine the extent of teacher leaders’ responsibilities in relation to national development within and outside the school. Participants included nine teachers, three principals, viceprincipals and an educational administrator in an Educational District in Lagos, Nigeria. Data for the study was generated through the use of semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis. The study revealed that the professional, administrative and social roles of teachers are a continuum within and outside the school. It also shows that teachers spend majority of their time in the classroom as well as assisting in administration and managerial processes in a school system. The study recommends giving merit awards to teachers to enhance their image and self worth. It also recommends that professional standards and training should be of importance in the teaching and learning processes. The study contributes to professional development of teachers thereby enhancing their responsibilities in and outside the schools

Offerings of women in the transformation of African higher education : a retrospective overview

Abstract: This article presents an unusual concrete insight to African higher education transformation. The purpose is to examine the roles of African women mainly Charlotte Maxeke, a South African, in the transformation of higher education and to identify the legacy these transformation offerings translate into for women. It is organized as follows: first, the origin of transformation in higher education systems to global massification of education in the background section is traced. Second, in an attempt to understand as a means of examining the roles of women in the transformation of higher education, existing literature as evidence is engaged. Two crucial issues— challenges for African higher education transformation and women’s role in higher education development in Africa—were reviewed analytically toward transformation of higher education. Third, empowerment theory, as suitable theory for the reasonable accomplishment of the purpose of this article, is presented. Last, the theory was applied to the discussions justifying the conclusion. The methodology used is both descriptive and exploratory. The article divulges that women had always being fanatical about empowerment of themselves and others because women had at some points in history contributed to developmental alterations of African higher education given..