Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this study I analyse the 1994 episodes of the popular soap opera Egoli: Place of Gold that coincide with the so-called ‘birth’ of the New South Africa. This moment in media history is characterised by a heightened sense of anticipation surrounding Egoli as the first local soap opera created by Franz Marx at the pinnacle of his career for the relatively new – and only – independent broadcaster in the country, M-Net. Because of the reliance of this genre on perceived realism, Egoli offers a historically significant televisual mediation of the widespread social and political changes that mark this particular period. I argue that the soap opera elicits a non-critical passive spectatorship and should therefore be regarded as a ‘readerly’ medium that transmits a form of pre-negotiated textual hegemony directly into the intimacy of the domestic viewing space. While acknowledging an awareness of the pivotal role played by white Afrikaans men in the safeguarding of cultural hegemony up until this historical juncture, my study diverges from the wealth of research on soap opera as a women’s medium and approaches Egoli with an interest in the programme’s construction of masculinities. An analysis of three contrasting male characters investigates Egoli’s formulation of a social matrix that reflects not only the programme’s attitude towards gender, but also to social power, class and race. I conclude that this specific soap opera lacks the ability to produce or reflect radical change. Egoli merely serves to reiterate the affirmation of the hegemony of an established order of Afrikaner patriarchy on a superficial level. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie studie analiseer ek die 1994 episodes van die populêre sepie Egoli: Plek van Goud wat afspeel tydens die sogenaamde ‘geboorte’ van die Nuwe Suid-Afrika. Hierdie oomblik in media-geskiedenis is gekarakteriseer deur ‘n verhoogde gevoel van antisipasie rondom Egoli as die eerste plaaslike sepie, vervaardig deur Franz Marx tydens die toppunt van sy loopbaansukses vir die relatief nuwe, en enigste onafhanklike uitsaaidiens in die land, M-Net. Vanweë hierdie medium se afhanklikheid op skynbare realisme, bied Egoli ‘n waardevolle historiese televisuele vertolking van die verrykende sosiale en politiese veranderinge van hierdie tydperk. Ek argumenteer dat die sepie ‘n passiewe kritiekloosheid in kykers uitlok en daarom as ‘n ‘leeslike’ teks benader moet word, wat ‘n reeds-onderhandelde hegemonie direk in die intimiteit van die huishouding oordra. As gevolg van die bewustheid van die kritieke rol wat deur blanke Afrikaanse mans vervul is in die beveiliging van kulturele hegemonie tot en met hierdie historiese moment, wyk my studie af van die veelvuldige navorsing oor die sepie as ‘n vroue-medium en benader ek Egoli met ‘n fokus op die konstruering van manlikheid. ‘n Analise van drie kontrasterende manlike karakters ondersoek Egoli se formulering van ‘n sosiale matriks wat nie alleenlik die program se benadering tot geslag blootlê nie, maar so ook tot sosiale mag, klas en ras. Ek sluit af met die bevinding dat dié sepie ontbreek in die vermoë om radikale verandering aan te spoor of te weerspieël. Egoli slaag slegs daarin om op ‘n oppervlakkige wyse die hegemonie van ‘n gevestigde Afrikaner patriargale orde te bevestig en te reproduseer.

Hierdie proefskrif is 'n verkennende ondersoek na kykers se interpretasie van die seep-opera Egoli - Piek van Goud. Die basiese vertrekpunt van die studie is die teks-leserontmoeting waar gelyke status aan die boodskap ('n teks) en die ontvanger ('n kyker) gegee word. Uit so 'n ontmoeting ontstaan kykers se interpretasies. Die tweeledige ondersoek plaas die proefskrif binne die teoretiese en metodologiese raamwerk van resepsiestudie om die komplekse interaksie tussen 'n teks en die ontvanger te ondersoek. Die twee komponente word binne spesifieke historiese en kulturele kontekste geplaas, te wete die veranderende politieke en ideologiese klimaat in Suid-Afrika asook die sosio-kulturele en politieke kontekste van die deelnemers. Die deelnemers van hierdie studie is groepe bruin-, swart- en witvroue. Groeponderhoude (fokusgroepe) is met ses groepe vroue tydens hul etensuur by die werkplek gevoer. Die onderhoude is rondom die volgende temas gestruktureer: romanse, identifikasie, parasosiale interaksie, sosiale interaksie, intertekstualiteit en Egoli as 'n forum vir die uitbeelding van Suid-Afrikaanse werklikhede. Kykers se interpretasie van die temas is ontleed aan die hand van referensiele, onderhandelde en kritiese interpretasierame. Daar is gevind dat die verskillende kultuurgroepe in 'n groat mate dieselfde interpretasierame gebruik in hul interpretasie van die verskillende temas. Die opvallendste verskil tussen die groepe is die wyse waarop die deelnemers die tema Egoli as 'n forum vir die uitbeelding van die SuidAfrikaanse werklikhede vertolk: as gevolg van verskillende sosio-kulturele en politieke omstandighede in Suid-Afrika het die deelnemers waarskynlik interpretasierame ontwikkel wat aan daardie omstandighede gekoppel kan word. In die studie is aangetoon dat die hermeneutiek en resepsieteorie nuttige verklarings gee van die elemente in die seep-operateks wat kykersbetrokkenheid stimuleer en die proses van interpretasie. Die proses verloop soos volg: deelnemers het bepaalde verwagtings oor 'n program; hulle moet die uitgebeelde werklikheid(e) herken en die boodskappe dan toe-eien. Hierna word boodskappe 'n kultuur binnegedra deur middel van sosiale diskoers. Die teoretiese onderbou het voorts aan die lig gebring dat deelnemers se interaksie met en interpretasie van Egoli 'n vorm van spel is. Empiriese bewyse is gevind dat die deelnemers op speelse wyse • oor karakters 'skinder'; • spekuleer oor romantiese assosiasie; • met karakters identifiseer; en • parasosiale verhoudings met karakters aanknoop. / Text in Afrikaans / This thesis is an exploratory study of viewers' interpretation of the soap opera Egoli - Place of Gold. The basic point of departure is the text-viewer encounter where equal status is given to the message (text) and the recipient (viewer). Viewers' interpretations develop from this encounter. This dichotomous investigation places the thesis within the theoretical and methodological framework of reception study where the complex interaction between a text and the recipient is examined. The two components are placed within specific historical and cultural contexts, namely the changing political and ideological climate in South Africa, as well as the socio-cultural and political contexts of the participants. The groups participating in this study consisted of coloured, black and white women. Six group interviews (focus groups) were held with these women during their lunch-hour at the workplace. The interviews were structured around the following themes: romance, identification, parasocial interaction, social interaction,intertextuality and Egoli as a forum for the portrayal of South African realities. Viewers' interpretations of these themes were analysed according to referential, negotiated and critical interpretative frames. It was largely found that the various cultural groups use the same interpretative frames to interpret the various themes. The exception was the way participants interpreted Egoli as a forum for the portrayal of South African realities: because of different socio-cultural and political circumstances in South Africa the participants may have developed interpretation frames that could be linked to these circumstances. Hermeneutics and reception theory provide useful explanations of these elements in a soap opera text that stimulate viewers' involvement and the process of interpretation. This process proceeds as follows: participants have specific expectations regarding a programme; they must recognise the realities depicted and then appropriate the messages. Thereafter messages are incorporated into a culture by means of social discourse. A further important theoretical finding was that the participants' interaction with and interpretation of Egoli takes the form of play. It was empirically determined in this study that participants playfully • speculate about romantic association; • engage in gossip about characters; • identify with characters; and • develop parasocial relationships with characters. / Summaries in English and Afrikaans / Communication Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Communication Science)

Hierdie proefskrif is 'n verkennende ondersoek na kykers se interpretasie van die seep-opera Egoli - Piek van Goud. Die basiese vertrekpunt van die studie is die teks-leserontmoeting waar gelyke status aan die boodskap ('n teks) en die ontvanger ('n kyker) gegee word. Uit so 'n ontmoeting ontstaan kykers se interpretasies. Die tweeledige ondersoek plaas die proefskrif binne die teoretiese en metodologiese raamwerk van resepsiestudie om die komplekse interaksie tussen 'n teks en die ontvanger te ondersoek. Die twee komponente word binne spesifieke historiese en kulturele kontekste geplaas, te wete die veranderende politieke en ideologiese klimaat in Suid-Afrika asook die sosio-kulturele en politieke kontekste van die deelnemers. Die deelnemers van hierdie studie is groepe bruin-, swart- en witvroue. Groeponderhoude (fokusgroepe) is met ses groepe vroue tydens hul etensuur by die werkplek gevoer. Die onderhoude is rondom die volgende temas gestruktureer: romanse, identifikasie, parasosiale interaksie, sosiale interaksie, intertekstualiteit en Egoli as 'n forum vir die uitbeelding van Suid-Afrikaanse werklikhede. Kykers se interpretasie van die temas is ontleed aan die hand van referensiele, onderhandelde en kritiese interpretasierame. Daar is gevind dat die verskillende kultuurgroepe in 'n groat mate dieselfde interpretasierame gebruik in hul interpretasie van die verskillende temas. Die opvallendste verskil tussen die groepe is die wyse waarop die deelnemers die tema Egoli as 'n forum vir die uitbeelding van die SuidAfrikaanse werklikhede vertolk: as gevolg van verskillende sosio-kulturele en politieke omstandighede in Suid-Afrika het die deelnemers waarskynlik interpretasierame ontwikkel wat aan daardie omstandighede gekoppel kan word. In die studie is aangetoon dat die hermeneutiek en resepsieteorie nuttige verklarings gee van die elemente in die seep-operateks wat kykersbetrokkenheid stimuleer en die proses van interpretasie. Die proses verloop soos volg: deelnemers het bepaalde verwagtings oor 'n program; hulle moet die uitgebeelde werklikheid(e) herken en die boodskappe dan toe-eien. Hierna word boodskappe 'n kultuur binnegedra deur middel van sosiale diskoers. Die teoretiese onderbou het voorts aan die lig gebring dat deelnemers se interaksie met en interpretasie van Egoli 'n vorm van spel is. Empiriese bewyse is gevind dat die deelnemers op speelse wyse • oor karakters 'skinder'; • spekuleer oor romantiese assosiasie; • met karakters identifiseer; en • parasosiale verhoudings met karakters aanknoop. / Text in Afrikaans / This thesis is an exploratory study of viewers' interpretation of the soap opera Egoli - Place of Gold. The basic point of departure is the text-viewer encounter where equal status is given to the message (text) and the recipient (viewer). Viewers' interpretations develop from this encounter. This dichotomous investigation places the thesis within the theoretical and methodological framework of reception study where the complex interaction between a text and the recipient is examined. The two components are placed within specific historical and cultural contexts, namely the changing political and ideological climate in South Africa, as well as the socio-cultural and political contexts of the participants. The groups participating in this study consisted of coloured, black and white women. Six group interviews (focus groups) were held with these women during their lunch-hour at the workplace. The interviews were structured around the following themes: romance, identification, parasocial interaction, social interaction,intertextuality and Egoli as a forum for the portrayal of South African realities. Viewers' interpretations of these themes were analysed according to referential, negotiated and critical interpretative frames. It was largely found that the various cultural groups use the same interpretative frames to interpret the various themes. The exception was the way participants interpreted Egoli as a forum for the portrayal of South African realities: because of different socio-cultural and political circumstances in South Africa the participants may have developed interpretation frames that could be linked to these circumstances. Hermeneutics and reception theory provide useful explanations of these elements in a soap opera text that stimulate viewers' involvement and the process of interpretation. This process proceeds as follows: participants have specific expectations regarding a programme; they must recognise the realities depicted and then appropriate the messages. Thereafter messages are incorporated into a culture by means of social discourse. A further important theoretical finding was that the participants' interaction with and interpretation of Egoli takes the form of play. It was empirically determined in this study that participants playfully • speculate about romantic association; • engage in gossip about characters; • identify with characters; and • develop parasocial relationships with characters. / Summaries in English and Afrikaans / Communication Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Communication Science)