The Lindela Repatriation Centre, 1996–2014 : Applying theory to the practice of human rights violations

This article is based on media content analysis of more than 230 newspaper articles written on the Lindela Repatriation Centre from its establishment in 1996 to 2014. This centre is South Africa’s only holding facility for undocumented migrants1 awaiting repatriation, and the data revealed that it is a hub of human rights violations. The article juxtaposes the South African Bill of Rights, which supposedly underpinned the establishment of the centre, with the grotesque human rights violations that have occurred there since its inception. In light of this, the article draws on the theorising of Giorgio Agamben (1998), and particularly his theoretical contribution of the ‘homo sacer’ as one who has been left behind or excluded from the territorial boundaries that confer the rights of citizenship. I found that the detainees at the centre are largely living in what Agamben describes as a ‘state of exception’ and that undocumented migrants are often treated as ‘bare life’, as individuals who are subject to the suspension of the law within the context of the centre. Since they are non-citizens of the recipient state, these actions amount to xenophobia, which manifests in a gross violation of human rights

The selection of academic role models by first year University students

The throughput rates of South African universities have been on the agenda of government and educational institutions for quite a while now. One of the factors that could impact university throughput rates positively is the influence of academic role models. Research has shown that adult role models sharing the same sex, race and/or age with the student could boost their academic performance. In light of this, this study aimed at exploring the differences between groups of first year sociology students at a South African urban university with regard to the criteria they use to select academic role models. The study was conducted at its main campus in 2011. A quantitative research methodology in the form of a self-administered survey was employed. It was found that the sociology first year students at the South African university considered academic qualifications/standing to be the most important criterion when selecting an academic role model compared to age and other socially ascribed statuses like race and sex. The findings of this study therefore diverge from the mainstream findings in the field of role models. This finding implies that the exclusive emphasis on making equity appointments within tertiary institutions in order to establish credible academic role models for university students should be revisited to make provision for a more complex approach, which goes beyond the focus on ascribed status

Emotional experiences and psychological well-being in 51 countries during the covid-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic presents challenges to psychological well-being, but how can we predict when people suffer or cope during sustained stress? Here, we test the prediction that specific types of momentary emotional experiences are differently linked to psychological well-being during the pandemic. Study 1 used survey data collected from 24,221 participants in 51 countries during the COVID-19 outbreak. We show that, across countries, well-being is linked to individuals’ recent emotional experiences, including calm, hope, anxiety, loneliness, and sadness. Consistent results are found in two age, sex, and ethnicity-representative samples in the United Kingdom (n = 971) and the United States (n = 961) with preregistered analyses (Study 2). A prospective 30-day daily diary study conducted in the United Kingdom (n = 110) confirms the key role of these five emotions and demonstrates that emotional experiences precede changes in well-being (Study 3). Our findings highlight differential relationships between specific types of momentary emotional experiences and well-being and point to the cultivation of calm and hope as candidate routes for well-being interventions during periods of sustained stress

Orphans in foster care and the state : a biopolitical analysis of the relationship

Abstract: Due to the scourge of AIDS deaths in South Africa, there has been a significant increase in the number of orphans. Against this backdrop communities have evolved alternative parenting strategies to mitigate this. This research focused on the foster care system as a nexus of how the state exercises biopower. This qualitative study was carried out in order to understand the nature of the relationship between orphans in foster care and the state. This was done to illuminate the functionality of social services and the foster care system through analysing the subjective experiences of the actors involved in the foster care process. This study probes Foucault’s concept of biopower and how it is useful in locating the South African state’s role within the schema of foster care. The study was conducted in a rural district called Ha-Makuya, which is located in the North Eastern Limpopo province. Sixteen participants were interviewed; one magistrate, four social workers, three school teachers, five home-based care workers and three foster parents. The study found that the agents of the state (magistrate, social workers and school teachers) had an intricate biopolitical role in the foster care system. The agents worked together with the home-based care workers and foster parents, who were the mediators of this relationship as they were not directly linked to the state. The state was only able to assist orphans in foster care through a combination of the roles and responsibilities of both the agents and the mediators. The magistrate’s key role was ratifying foster care. He relied heavily on the social workers for a comprehensive psycho-social report which he consulted when evaluating a foster care application. The social workers were the greatest biopolitical agents who were at the heart of this system as they worked very closely with the other actors. The teachers’ role was to monitor the children’s academic performance and in the event that they noticed any anomalies, they were required to bring this to the attention of the social workers. These agents were “technicians” and “normative judges” who were responsible for monitoring, distinguishing, qualifying and ranking orphans, hence facilitators of normalisation. Due to the shortage of social workers across South Africa, the home-based care workers in Ha-Makuya filled in this void and assumed some of the responsibilities that the social workers were required to carry out by the state...M.A. (Sociology

The Lindela Repatriation Centre, 1996‐2014 applying theory to the practice of human rights violations

Abstract: Please refer to full text to view abstract

Sociology 1B

Exam paper for second semester 201