Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio State University, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 58-61).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2009. / Title from title screen (site viewed January 5, 2010). PDF text: vii, 380 p. ; 3 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3365713. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

My focus on this research is based on the Black African widows who find difficulties, in action and rejection from the Church after the death of their partners. I am aware that the subject had been dealt with in the past by the late Rev T.B.S.Mnisi and expresses her point of departure from the woman perspective. I’m coming from the background where these practices have affected me and challenged my ministry As an African minister experiences had clouded our behavior and judgment especially to issues that are violent, abusive and harmful to women. I’m fully aware that being a product of patriarchal structure raises eyebrows, but it will help others to take care of widows in such a way that they are included in the community. The way the widows are treated from the church, raises questions that challenges the Pastoral care. The challenges lie on whether the cloth causes people to be stigmatized and isolated. Therefore the findings of the research will enable the church and Pastoral caregivers to undo the wrongs that were done in the past and continue in the present. The author will use Sesotho influence to help in the method of doing Pastoral care in the Swazi context. Copyright / Dissertation (MA(Theol))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

Due to the improved availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) life expectancy amongst people living with HIV has drastically increased. Older people, aged 50 and over now make up the fastest growing group of individuals living with HIV in the UK. Despite this little is known about their experiences of ageing with HIV. In addition, further still is known about older Black African women living with HIV in the UK, despite the complexity of their social and political context. This was, therefore, the first study to explore the lived experiences of this underrepresented group of women. The thesis adopted a phenomenological approach to examining how the intersections of older black African women's identities shaped their experiences of living with HIV in the UK. In addition, it explored the ways in which they coped with the devastating impact HIV appeared to have on their lives. Using interviews with seven women and interpretative phenomenological analysis, the results revealed three master themes. These were 'Spoilt Identities', 'A present without light and a future without hope' and 'Escaping the labyrinth of distress and uncertainty'. A detailed account of these master themes is provided. The findings are discussed in relation to existing literature, implications for clinical practice, methodological limitations and suggestions for future research.

Magister Legum - LLM / In South Africa corrective rape is committed by African men as a form of social control to cure women of their homosexuality. The problem with corrective rape is that the victims of this crime are mainly black African lesbians, particularly those in townships who are seen to challenge patriarchal gender norms. Therefore discrimination on the basis of gender, race, sex and sexual orientation is called into play. Section 9 of the Constitution provides that the state may not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more specified ground which include gender, race, sex and as well as sexual orientation. Further, no person may unfairly discriminate against anyone on one or more of the same specified grounds. Thus, the black African lesbians affected by corrective rape are protected by the equality provisions of the Constitution upon which discrimination is prohibited. In addition, the impact of discrimination on lesbians is thus rendered more serious and their vulnerability increased by the fact that the victims are black women. In the context of black African lesbians, it is believed that these women are a threat to the manhood as well as cultural beliefs of the perpetrators. Perpetrators, therefore, can justify their actions on the constitutional right to culture. This position obviously reopens the debate on the conflicts between African culture and tradition with human rights within the context of corrective rape which ultimately continues to militate against the adequate protection of women’s rights. Against this background, this research will focus on how South Africa is balancing its constitutional mandate in relation to the black African lesbians affected by corrective rape. It will be argued that for victims of corrective rape to be adequately protected it is necessary to define corrective as a hate crime and not merely the crime of rape. In addition, it will also be argued that because there is an inherent conflict between the right to culture of the perpetrators and the constitutionally protected rights of the victims of corrective rape, courts, in enforcing the rights of these victims should also address this conflict. The importance in recognising this conflict lies in the fact that one needs to take into account that both the perpetrators and the victims are protected by the Bill of Rights and that one cannot disregard the importance of either of their rights.

Yes / An exploratory qualitative study design was adopted for this study and underpinned by Rex’s migrant workers framework (Rex, 1999). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten ward managers from four NHS trusts in the north-east of England to gain an insight into their experiences of working with black African nurses with regard to equal opportunities in accessing professional development and promotion. Managers reported that black African nurses experienced racism from patients, racism from colleagues, discrimination and lack of equal opportunities. A unique finding of the study was that managers stereotyped black African nurses as lacking motivation for professional development and promotion. The authors recommend that NHS ward managers receive training in implementing antidiscrimination policies and valuing equality and diversity.

The images in our world that render ideas of prejudice are reciprocally related to racism and sexism and have the ability to make us aware of how we base our evaluations of ourselves and others mainly on visual appearance. In the case of African American women in American society, this is magnified. My art is about my relationship to history and a personal understanding of obsessions with visual appearance. Through portrait painting, performance art and sculptural forms, I am attempting to express a personal interpretation or the collective cultural identity of African American women of my generation in the 21st, century.

Personality prototypes have gained more attention as a unit of personality analysis in the past decade. However, relatively few studies have looked at the personality structure of ethnic minorities in general and Black/African Americans specifically using this method of analysis. The current study utilized a large sample (n = 951) of Black/African American undergraduates. The scale scores and relevant work behaviors of the Workplace Personality Inventory (WPI) were analyzed via k-means to develop a prototypic outline of the three personality prototypes (i.e., resilient, undercontrolled, and overcontrolled.) Further, research relating to high achieving Black/African American undergraduates is also sparse. Thus, this study analyzed the cumulative grade point averages (CGPA) of the participants by gender and cluster type. The results show the replicability of the sample into the three personality prototypes as well as the statistical significance of gender and CGPA. The practical implications and limitations of the current study are discussed.

<p>Obesity and overweight disproportionately impact Black American adolescent females—placing them at a lifetime of elevated physical health risks. Despite this burden, the literature that explores the contributors to obesity and overweight among Black American adolescent females remains limited and unclear. This dissertation aims to develop knowledge related to obesity and overweight in Black American adolescent females, by appraising the current understanding of factors that contribute to their obesity and overweight, and explicating the everyday social influences on dietary practices. The primary study conducted for this dissertation used a mixed method, multiple case study design to examine the mother, daughter, and other household contributors to Black American adolescent daughters’ everyday practices of food consumption, acquisition, preparation, and planning. Findings reveal the importance of understanding the complex and dynamic ways mothers and other household members contribute to a holistic view of everyday dietary practices among adolescent daughters. By deeply examining the nuanced ways the multiple cases varied, context-dependent knowledge essential to understanding the complicated health challenge of obesity was produced. Subsequently, recommendations are provided for health providers and scholars to more holistically approach and examine obesity—particularly among populations who are disproportionately affected.</p> / Dissertation

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the experiences of high-ability, Black, female college freshmen when preparing for college to identify influences from various family, school, and community environments. Using a theoretical framework, which incorporates both Kimberlé Crenshaw’s intersectionality and Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory in an orientational manner as a guide to examine literature related to the multiple identities and experiences potentially shared by the participants and to generate the interview questions to collect data and explore their experiences as broadly as possible. To explore these experiences, the researcher conducted in-depth individual interviews of ten Black female freshmen and two focus groups of six of those ten freshmen who are high ability and from low-income households. The participants answered questions to learn more about experiences that influenced their processes preparing for college. These perspectives may help inform the development of interventions, programs, counseling practices aimed at helping students with shared identities. Findings from this qualitative research study revealed that intrinsic and extrinsic motivating experiences and relationships across multiple contexts within the participants’ lives have contributed to their process of preparing for college. Nine themes emerged from the participants’ responses: (1) navigating the “crooked room”: perceptions of self; (2) prophetic excellence: family and friends support and expectations, (3) it takes a village: community culture and resources, (4) from chaperone to mentor: exploring the depth of K-12 educational interactions and opportunities, (5) preparing for a home away from home: college exploration and preparation, (6) demystifying the process: I don’t know what I do or don’t need to know, (7) calibrating to fit and understand new environments, (8) and still I rise: acknowledgement of systemic issues, and (9) hindsight 20/20: if I knew then what I know now. Implications for practice and future research are included.