Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Biblical interpreters have often been unwittingly anthropocentric in their reading of biblical narratives, ignoring the living and nonliving presence of physical world characteristics that underpin the narrative’s overall framework. Moreover, with a focus on men, women’s role as water fetchers has been overlooked, resulting in the text’s dual undermining of ecological and gender issues. This thesis attempts to move away from such interpretations and reread selected biblical texts about water and women using a dual-mode of inquiry, namely gender-ecocriticism. A central question within ecocritical inquiry is—how is nature represented in the narrative? Furthermore, on the subject of gender criticism— how are daughters narrativized in the text? These are the two critical questions that this thesis intends to explore. There are only five explicit narratives of ‘daughters fetching water at the well’ in the Bible. Nevertheless, these scenic activities are significant because of their historical link to the waterfetching daughters in the contemporary world. This study draws attention to the gendering of the water-fetching task by a gender analysis of the five texts. To understand why only daughters are assigned the task of water-fetching, the study draws on theories of the sexual division of labour. The first theme I discuss in this dissertation is water symbolism as found in Judeo-Christian and contemporary stories of water and its interplay with current issues of water scarcity. The focus of the second part is the water-gender intersections found in those five narratives. These themes are explored in this thesis through an exegetical analysis of the five biblical water-drawing narratives. The interpretation is based on socio-historical analysis as well as literary analysis employing narratology and biblical hermeneutical methods. This dissertation concludes that water stories demonstrate that water is more than a symbol. The current water shortage crisis in some parts of the world directs our attention to the urgency of reconfiguring water in our religious and theological imaginations. Water becomes an intrinsic feature in the reader’s mind when read from a gender-ecocritical angle. Being appreciative of each physical element in the vast expanse of the ecosystem, allows a reader’s imagination to reflect on the global negative impact and the distortion of those valuable connections we as humans have with the rest of the physical world.

Syftet med denna studie är att få ökad kunskap kring hur lärares könsroller framträder i klassrum och i undervisning av manliga och kvinnliga lärare. Med en genusteoretisk utgångspunkt analyseras begreppen kön, könsroller och genus utifrån bland annat Butler (2007), Hirdman (2003) samt Connell (2006). Lärare utgör den centrala del i denna studie då den genomförs utifrån ett lärarperspektiv. Som metod har en enkätundersökning genomförts där över 200 lärare över hela Sverige deltagit samt observationer av två manliga lärare och två kvinnliga lärare som komplement, på fyra olika skolor i Skåne. Samtliga lärare undervisar huvudsakligen inom bildämnet. Resultatet i studien visar att samhällskonstruerade könsroller gjort och gör ett tydligt avtryck inom dagens skola. Även om flertalet lärare inom både observationer och enkätrespondenter är medvetna om de skillnader som kön medför uppenbarar sig samtidigt motsägande mönster. Resultatet indikerar även en skillnad mellan könen där manliga lärare visar en mer dominant roll medan de kvinnliga lärarna tar sig an en mammaroll. Studien avrundas med en diskussion följt av förslag till vidare forskning. Nyckelord: Bemötande, bildämnet, genus, genusordning, genussystem, kvinnligt, kön, könsroller, makt, maktsystem, manligt, skola, undervisning

This study explores the varied ways sexual minority organisations in Kenya negotiate their choices, decisions and actions when determining how, when, and why to be publicly visible or retreat from visibility. This they have to do in the context of the threats of retribution on the part of Kenyan state leaders to their efforts to protect sexual minority rights. Sexual minority organising carries the risk of verbal abuse and the threat of arrest and other retribution. In spite of this, sexual minorities have organised themselves into publicly visible social movement organisations over the last ten years. In addition to the hostility of the Kenyan state, these organisations operate within the context of the uneven situation with regard to the constraints or otherwise of organising as sexual minorities between the Global South and North. The situation is further complicated by the role of donors, who bring their own experiences and agendas from the Global North, not always appropriately, into African contexts. Amid such varied responses to sexual minority organising, how, when, and why do Kenyan social movement organizations become publicly visible or retreat from visibility? To recognise the various forces that influence (in)visibility choices that sexual minority organisations have to negotiate, I used sociologist James M. Jasper's (2006) concept of "strategic dilemma". Sexual minority social movement organisations field strategic dilemmas when they strategise around whether and how to become visible, modify their public profile, or forgo political opportunities. To understand the micro-political dynamics of how sexual minority social movement organisations negotiated such strategic dilemmas of visibility and invisibility, I analysed 200 newspaper articles and sexual minority organisational documents and conducted 12 in-depth interviews with staff, members and leaders of sexual minority social movement organisations. Ultimately the findings of this thesis centre on the fluidity of visibility and invisibility as was experienced by Kenyan sexual minority organisations. (ln)visibility was experienced in diverse ways as a process that included a series of steps that do not have absolute values nor are they necessarily coherent in different time and space. My findings advance social movement theorizing by demonstrating the importance of studying social movements in the global South. In addition, my findings contribute to postcolonial feminist and queer theorizing by showing how marginalised sexual and gender minorities in Kenya struggled strategically to assert their democratic inclusion in the state.

To date, the knowledge available about cisgender-trans* couples and their experiences is located in the global North. Research situated in the interest of trans*, transgender and transsexual people's lives most often furthers scholars' understanding of gender. In my research, I employed strategies to look at the experiences of the cisgender partners of masculine identifying trans* persons, in order to learn more about gender Post-apartheid South Africa is a country that is vibrant with discussions in mainstream platforms about contemporary political and socio-economic matters, regularly framed in sexist approaches with clear patriarchal messages. How and where does the trans* masculine person find role models and what is that impact on the cisgender-trans* relationship? Bringing together literature from the global North and South Africa, I formed a theoretical framework that served as the context to support my research. As a feminist, I employ both feminist theory and transgender theory in my qualitative study. I interviewed fourteen cisgender partners of masculine identifying trans* persons. From the rich data, five themes emerged and were analysed through a content analysis approach.

Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Bibliography: leaves 125-128.

Includes bibliographical references. / In context of increasing global migration and its correlation to heightened tensions around the meaning of a "foreign" body, this research questions the experiences of bodies crossing borders into the social and historical space of Cape Town, South Africa. Grounded in theories of surveillance, embodiment, and feminist geography of fear of crime, the study employed a feminist methodology using qualitative group interviews with international students from the Southern African Development Community at the University of Cape Town. The transcribed data was analysed through the participants' use of discourses and their descriptions of experiences. Questions arose around the meaning of surveillance and notions of respectability in transition. Furthermore, participants navigate amid new spaces of fear and insecurity in relation to their subjectivities, particularly as "foreigners". The research suggests that fear becomes a fundamental attribute of bodies in migration through which individuals mitigate through "passing" subverting expressions of embodied nationalities, knowledge gathering of the local terrain, among others. The challenges and techniques to overcome these fears become part of a process to re-establish the "self" in a foreign context.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Work in the Department of Social Work at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2012. / The study aimed at critically examining the causes of gender-based violence in Kwa- Nongoma. This study defines gender-based violence (GBV) as violence that is directed to a person on the basis of gender or sex. It includes acts that inflict physically, mentally, sexual harm or suffering; threats such as cohesion; and other deprivation of liberty. It also includes sexual violence, sex trafficking, forced prostitution, spousal abuse, emotional and psychological abuse, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, infanticide of female children, and discriminatory practice based on gender. For data collection purposes, the study used qualitative research method which allows researcher to interview targeted respondents. The targeted population were all people from the age of fifteen (15) to one hundred years (100). Among other things, the study revealed that the majority of respondents are aware of gender-based violence in the community. This violence includes a wide range of violations of women’s human rights, including trafficking in women and girls, rape, wife abuse, sexual abuse of children, and harmful cultural practices and traditions that irreparably damage girls and women’s reproductive and sexual health. Additionally, the results proved that the majority of GBVcase are directed towards women and girls but a few boys and men are also victims. Among other things highlighted, the respondents indicated that GBV encompasses the following forms of GBV:  Physical, sexual, and psychological violence occurring in the family, including battering, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse of children in the household, dowryrelated violence, marital rape, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women, non-spousal violence, and violence related to exploitation;  Physical, sexual, and psychological violence occurring within general community, including rape; sexual abuse; sexual harassment and robbery. In order to eradicate gender-based violence, respondents revealed that there is an urgent need for government to create job opportunities in the area. For instance the respondents suggested that there is a need for a garden projects which would help minimise poverty in the area. The respondents also revealed that through the garden project, they would be in a position to grow vegetables, maize, spinach, carrots etc. which they would sell to the tourists and other people. Additionally, the respondents indicated that shortage of job opportunities in the area is seen as a threat that perpetrates gender violence in the area. The respondents suggested that there is a need for a poultry project which would help eradicate poverty in the area. The respondents also revealed in the aforementioned study, they would be in the position to rear chickens both broilers and layers. They also indicated that the poultry project would be used as a place where white meat is produced for the community as a whole.

Dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Clinical Psychology) at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2012. / Previous research has shown that in the past males generally had negative attitudes and opinions about gender equity and the development of female autonomy and emancipation. The present study aimed to explore the perceptions of male university students in KwaZulu-Natal about independent women. More specifically the researcher tried to investigate whether “new generation” South African males are more accepting of gender equity and the independence and emancipation of South African females. An interpretive perspective was employed. A total of 6 assenting male university students, 3 from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and 3 from the University of Zululand situated in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, participated in the present study. In line with the researcher’s epistemology, the methodology was qualitative in nature and semi-structured interviews were used. All the participants were given a short biographical questionnaire and a one-on-one semi-structured interview was conducted thereafter. The research data was subjected to thematic analysis. The significant themes that emerged from the analysis are presented in the results chapter. The present study’s overall findings suggested that the “new” male generation of KwaZulu-Natal still generally hold negative attitudes and perceptions about gender equity and South African independent females. However, it was also found that the “new” South African male generation of the University of KwaZulu-Natal and University of Zululand is more receptive to the independence of South African females than the “older” South African male generation. In conclusion the present study’s contributions as well as shortcomings are discussed, along with recommendations for future research.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Planning and Administration at The University of Zululand, 2009. / The study aims at investigating secondary school principalship with regard to gender. The focal point was to assess the effectiveness of female principals compared with male principals. The following aims were therefore formulated: o to determine whether women principals in secondary schools are perceived by educators, school governing bodies and learners to be effective as leaders, o to establish if women are perceived by educators, school governing bodies and learners to be more or less effective than men, o to assess the educational environment in regard to the movement towards a culture in which female principals are treated equally to male principals in schools, o to determine, through literature review, what constitutes effective leadership, o to determine whether there are specific leadership styles associated with male or female principals, o to identify barriers experienced by women who aspire to leadership positions and o to determine if the status of being a female or male influences perceptions of female principals. The study was based on some leadership theories such as trait, behavioural, contingency, transactional and the transformational theories. These theories served as the criteria for evaluating female school principalship versus male school principalship. The study revealed that these theories do apply to schools, that is, they really are relevant to the schools, regardless of gender. In order to address adequately the problems being investigated, the investigation was undertaken of the perceptions of educators, school governing bodies’ chairpersons, learners’ presidents and female principals regarding school principalship and gender. The sample therefore consisted of the four above-mentioned categories. Two instruments were used for data collection: questionnaires were for the first three groups and interviews for the female principals. The study established the following problem areas: lack of school vision, interpersonal skills, conflict management skills, transformational skills and communication skills on the part of some school principals; problems experienced by female school principals which were caused mostly by male school stakeholders; and the inability on the part of female principals to impose discipline. The data was analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. In view of the findings of the study, the researcher proffered several recommendations.