In the present looking back and imagining a future that could be

Stevens, Garth, Duncan, Norman & Hook, Derek (eds) (2013) Race, memory and the Apartheid Archive: Towards a transformative psychosocial praxis. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-137-26389-6 hbk. Pages xviii + 368. Johannesburg: Wits University Press. ISBN 978-1-86814-756-4 pbk. 320 Pages. “Traumatic experiences from the past will constantly attempt to re-inscribe themselves (often in masked form) in the present, if they are not acknowledged, interrogated, and addressed.” (Apartheid Archive Project, 2010) They are considering giving him parole after only 20 years ... He has not even served a fraction of his sentence. Could they not wait for us to die first? Why are they opening the wounds? Is he celebrating 20 years of democracy too and being given freedom as a gift? What about our pain, our loss? (Paraphrased response from a family member of one of Eugene De Kock’s victims interviewed on eNCA News channel, 30 May 2014). Narrated in a blend of frustration and outrage, helplessness and betrayal, this plea delivers an unfinished story, wounds that continue to fester, perhaps re-opened with his release, and healing that is never quite complete. The Apartheid Archive, a virtual attic of such stories, reminds us that as a nation, and a world, tomorrow is never possible without revisiting yesterday; that healing is a national obligation, never resolved in a single act of reconciliation. With their plea, the family has brought to the public their hidden transcript of pain. I see this as a befitting opening to my reflection on the book that engages with the project of memory and the complexities of race within a country like South Africa. This book is a treasure and a burden, insisting that we remember and re-view, re-engage and reflect on the cost of ignorance, breaking the silence, and being in conversation with how our past influences the present. This volume insists that we integrate memory, pain and the unspoken into our vision for social justice

Fourth year black male student teachers' conceptualisation of the in loco parentis prinicple at the University of Technology

Published ArticleThis research study explores how black male student teachers in their final fourth year programme at the University of Technology conceptualise the 'in loco parentis' aspect of their professional moulding. Male student teachers in their final fourth year studies are placed for a period of six months at various schools, as part of their professional preparation. Based on this phenomenon it has become important to explore how they perceive their position as male teachers in preparation against the delegated position invested in them by common law, as well as legal positive law. The researcher used the Critical Emancipatory Research (CER) approach as a transformative and liberatory mechanism to move away from the problems that are associated with being a male teacher and the abuse of power directed at learners in their care. A critical discourse analysis (CDA) was used to analyse the narratives of ten black male student teachers through in-depth interviews that were audio-taped. The ten male student teachers were based in different secondary schools in the Lejweleputswa district

Gender, social cohesion and everyday struggles in South Africa

Since the advent of democracy in South Africa, far-reaching changes have taken place in many areas of society. While many positive changes have taken place in the new dispensation; however, the promise of democracy has not been fully met. The hope for collectivity and trust in the government system seems to be an ideal to which many are still striving. Using gender as a unit of analysis, this paper interrogates the complexities of democracy and the ideation of social cohesion in a country that contends with perpetual everyday struggles. I will also draw briefly from a research project that I conducted to highlight how women make meaning of their newly found ‘freedom’ and the ways in which they wrestle with perpetual challenges that so many of them continue to face

School learner behavioural management: context and practices in a South African school setting

Published ArticleThis study explored context and qualities of learner behavioural management with high school students in a historically disadvantaged South African urban school setting. Participants were a convenience sample of seven teachers (females = 3, and males = 4) mean teaching experience = 14 years; SD = 9.0738 years). They responded to an open-ended interview on influences on learner behavioural management and preferred management styles. The data was thematically analysed. Findings reported poor implementation of school code of conduct and lack of parental involvement to lower the learner management. Teachers reported the use of an autocratic management style which could potentially undermine long-term learner development and growth

Exploring sarcasm as a replacement for corporal punishment in public schools in South Africa

Published ArticlesThe dawn of a democratic South Africa in 1994 established a society entrenched in Human Rights milieu. As such, public schools are meant to align their policies with the rule of the law. Particularly, section 10 (1) of South African Schools Act, 84 1996 (hereafter SASA) respectfully prohibits the administration of corporal punishment directed at a learner in public schools. The subsequent section 10 (2) of SASA admonishes that any person contravening section 10 (1) of SASA is liable on conviction to a sentence which could be imposed for assault. These mentioned provisions of the school legislation are consistent with section 10 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (RSA) which affords every person the inherent right to dignity of the person. Against the afore-mentioned legislative provisions, teachers have resorted to the use of sarcasm as a tool to inflict punishment in the manner that it could be equated with corporal punishment. Sarcasm is a form of language that is used to cause emotional and psychological harm, belittle, ridicule and humiliate the person it directed at. Judged against the provisions of the legislation governing schools in South African public schools, sarcasm could be said to be a direct violation of fundamental rights of learners to dignity of the person. In order to explore the intonation of sarcasm as supplement for corporal punishment the research paper employed a qualitative critical emancipatory research (CER) approach. Data gathered through a purposive sample of ten secondary teachers was analysed by the use of textual oriented discourse analyses

Stitching Narratives of Gender-based Violence: Meaning-making through Embroidery

COVID-19 has altered how we engage with one another. With social distancing as the new norm, and the prolonged lockdown having affected people at various levels of their lives, life has had to be reimagined and reconfigured. One of the things that has remained stable, if not worsened, is the challenge of gender-based violence. In South Africa and many other countries in the world, when strict lockdown rules were introduced, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) started making headlines on many media platforms, sparking protests, online dialogues, and online support networks for those affected. While people were worried about protecting themselves against COVID-19, many women had to shoulder the added burden of worrying about their safety within their own homes. While the South African lockdown was meant for the nation’s safety (e.g., ensuring the minimization of infections), it also created a “nest” and “feeling of entrapment” for women experiencing gender-related violence. Drawing from a decolonial feminist approach, this article explores how needlework in the form of embroidery can be used to visually depict how gender-based violence affects families, and communities more broadly. Specific attention is given to how community women visually and creatively make meaning of gender-based violence and the various ways it manifests in their communities. The article concludes by offering some possible avenues for reflecting on and reimagining ways in which GBV could be tackled

The Learner pregnancy in secondary schools in South Africa: Have attitudes and perceptions of teachers changed?

Many secondary schools in South Africa have elaborate school policies on learner pregnancy. Many of these policies state that in the event of a female learner falling pregnant, the said learner will be suspended from the school. The application of these policies has been challenged in the courts of law either by the parents of the learners or the Department of Basic Education in South Africa. The study used a qualitative research approach to explore the perceptions of Life Orientation teachers with regards to learner pregnancy policies and their efficiency. A purposive sample of nine Life Orientation teachers was chosen, and a focus group was used to collect data from the respondents. There were five female and four male teachers in total who participated in the study. Their age ranged from 27 to 52 years with an average teaching experience of 15.3 years. The study showed that despite the legislation stating that schools should be supportive of the needs of the pregnant learners at the school, teachers interviewed demonstrated their unwillingness to adhere to the law. As a result, pregnant learners are advised or coerced to stay at home for the remainder of their pregnancy as the school environment is not tolerant towards them. https://doi.org/10.19108/KOERS.85.1.2461  

A psychology in our own language: Redefining psychology in an African context

Psychology in Africa has for a long time and continues to be a contentious subject. Many scholars have pointed to the importance of acknowledging multiple forms of knowing and being in the world and understanding the complexities of understanding how people make meaning of their world. The urge to understand and define the notion of being human in universalistic terms minimises and obscures the complexities of human experiences in time, space and geolocation. This paper argues for the need to take the role of languages (indigenous) earnestly if we are to imagine a psychology (African) that takes local contexts within which it is practised and taught seriously. Furthermore, we insist on the importance of decolonising the psychology curriculum wherein what is deemed as legitimate at the exclusion of other forms of knowing becomes challenged