This thesis is situated within the context of post-apartheid, post-1994 South Africa. Considering that South Africa only recently entered its second decade of democracy, it is not surprising that, within the context of the “New South Africa”, new identities and myths are continuously being constructed. It thus follows that the construction of identities is a contentious issue within South Africa today. The premise that serves as point of departure for this thesis is that narratives contribute to the construction of identities. It is argued that there exists no single, absolute or static identity and that both personal and collective identities are endlessly being negotiated and renegotiated. Within the context of the “New South-Africa” a variety of new voices are being heard and a variety of new narratives are being voiced. Consider as a case in point the far-reaching stories told in the hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The far-reaching political, economic and cultural paradigm shifts South Africa has undergone in the recent past also manifest in the production of meaning in popular visual culture and, more specifically, in the undeniably popular South African soap opera. In the scope of this thesis it is argued that South African soap opera constitute one possible South African narrative and consequently that South African soap opera may be instrumental in the construction of the new identities referred to earlier. The first section of this thesis is devoted to a literature overview comprising an overview of seminal sources on Cultural Studies, the South African context, narrative, identity, soap opera, gender and the other. This is done in order to situate the thesis within the context of Cultural Studies and also to achieve an awareness of the literature and research relevant to this study. Initially the thesis focuses broadly on narrative, its characteristics and the role narrative plays in the construction of identities. Here the theories of Paul Ricouer serve as a basis on which narrative is defined and analysed. Important concepts that come to bear in the relationship between narrative and identity include time, story, history and imagination. In examining narrative I come to the conclusion that narrative can be embodied and that a narrative body implies gender. It is argued that narrative may be gendered as feminine, and consequently that it constitutes some kind of other – in this case, other to the masculine. Although Edward Said’s Orientalism is acknowledged as the unofficial origin of the concept of the Other, and mention is made of Simoné de Beauvoir, it is essentially the concept of the other as theorized by Luce Irigaray that is seminal to this thesis. The focus is narrowed down to soap opera narrative which is again argued to be a feminine, but also female, narrative for a variety of reasons. Soap opera narrative is othered to various hegemonic orders the most important of which is western masculine narrative. An argument is made for the potential of this narrative of the other to give a voice to the other and consequently pose a site where dominant identities and hegemonic orders may be (re)negotiated. The final part of this thesis is devoted to applying all of the above to South African soap opera narrative. Concrete examples from four South African soap operas (Egoli – Plek van Goud/Place of Gold, Isidingo – the need, Generations and 7de Laan) are used to substantiate the argument that South African soap opera may be regarded as other and consequently that it creates a site where new South African identities are created and old identities are being negotiated. / Dissertation (MA (Afrikaans))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Afrikaans / unrestricted

The purpose of this thesis was to explore the history and rituals of Japanese Soto Zen nuns and American Soto Zen ordained women in order to examine the motivations behind each group’s practices and distinguish the differences in the intent and practice of American Soto women’s rituals, specifically their reactions to the influence of feminism, and the effects of American syncretization in order to identify if a schism or a continuation is occurring within the Soto Zen tradition. Along with a survey of published research, interviews were conducted with two scholars and prominent ordained Soto practitioners–eight female and three male. Findings suggest that while maintaining strict adherence to specific orthodox rituals, American Soto women also reinterpret Soto traditions and adapt new practices to address the needs of American women’s practice. Findings further indicate the effects of American syncretization in nurturing a legitimate albeit uniquely American expression of Soto Zen.

Orientador: Guacira Marcondes Machado Leite / Resumo: O presente trabalho propõe uma análise interpretativa da obra literária Desmundo (1996), de Ana Miranda. Ambientada no século XVI, a obra traz uma revisitação histórica do período colonial brasileiro através da perspectiva de uma figura feminina. Oribela, a narradora-personagem, é responsável por contar a história colonial a partir de seu ponto de vista inovador e rebelde. A pesquisa é de cunho analítico-interpretativo e promove três frentes de debate para o romance. O primeiro aborda as relações existentes entre Literatura e realidade e como o universo romanesco em estudo encaixa-se nesse cenário, propondo um diálogo entre ficção e realidade, entre século XVI e século XXI. Já o segundo, propõe um estudo dos movimentos feministas e de crítica e autoria feminina e quais suas relações com a obra e como esta contribui para o desenvolvimento da mulher enquanto personagem e escritora. E, por fim, as questões de ordem discursiva que compõem a narrativa de autoria feminina, com uma personagem feminina, e as implicações que essa forma de narrar promove nos universos real e ficcional. Fundamentada em várias áreas do saber, desde a teoria literária até a filosofia, objetiva-se criar uma linha interpretativa que una todas essas questões que compõe a obra em análise. / Abstract: Abstract: This academic project proposes an interpretative analysis of the Desmundo (1996) literary work, by Ana Miranda. It was set in the 16th century and the work brings a historical remind of the Brazilian colonial period through the perspective of a female person. Oribela, the history’s teller is responsible for telling the colonial history from innovative and rebellious her point of view. The survey is interpretative and analytic, and promotes three parts of a debate for the novel. The first one discusses the relations among literature and reality and how the Romances fits into this scenario, proposing a discussion between fiction and reality, in the between 16th and 21st centuries. Thus, the second one proposes a study of feminist movements and women's criticism and authorship and what their relations with the work and how it contributes to the development of the woman as a character and writer. And finally, the discursive issues that compose the narrative of feminine authorship with a female character, and the effects this form of story promote in the real and fictional universes. Based on several areas of knowledge since literary theory from philosophy, the purpose is to create an interpretative line that joins all these issues that compose the work in analysis. / Mestre

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The purpose of the current study was to explore whether personality dispositions can influence perceived physical appearance. Past research demonstrates that gendered and non-gendered characteristics lead to differential preferences for potential romantic interests among males and females (e.g., Cash & Smith, 1982). These previous studies have not, however, measured direct influence on pulchritude. In the present study, gendered and non-gendered personality descriptions were paired with pictures of average-looking individuals of both sexes to determine the influence of gender roles on perceived physical attractiveness. I hypothesized that males would find androgynous females more physically attractive than gender-typed and non-gender typed females. Similarly, females would find androgynous males more physically attractive than gender-typed and non-gender typed males. Findings indicated that feminine and androgynous personalities significantly increased perceived physical attractiveness of target females for the male participants, whereas undifferentiated and masculine roles significantly decreased perceived physical attractiveness of target males for female participants. Target photographs accompanied by feminine personality descriptions were rated the highest in overall desirability by both sexes.

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