This dissertation examined the social role of royal mothers with an analysis of the issues of rituals and gender within the context of the eMaswati kingship. The Siswati royal rituals have attracted attention from researchers in various fields of the social sciences, focusing on the iNgwenyama (King), the hereditary head of the Emalangeni (Royal family) and ruler of the eMaswati. With the recent shift in many of these fields towards a focus on gender roles, new needs arise from an understanding of the social role of eSwatini royal mothers. Royal mothers fulfilled a role based on sacred rituals which were oriented to the construction of the sociopolitical power of the Bukhosi (Monarchy). The iNdlovukazi (Queen Mother) and eMakhosikati (Queens) are a significant feature of the culture of the eMaswati. When the Umntfwana (Crown Prince) is ready to ascend the throne, the Nabo-Mntfwana (Mother of Crown Prince) is the first to ascend to the throne and becomes the iNdlovukazi (Queen Mother). In the same fashion, the Umntfwana (Crown Prince) at his coronation then becomes the iNgwenyama (King). Moreover, the iNdlovukazi is the biological mother of a reigning iNgwenyama; she is a social, political, and ritual authority, the mother of the Emalangeni (Royal family), and the supreme mother of the eMaswati. Finally, the iNdlovukazi and eMakhosikati are recognized as essential to the family organization, a symbol of Likhaya (motherhood). The Emalangeni (Royal family), the Dlamini clan, formed the nucleus of the eMaswati. Under these circumstances, throughout history, royal mothers have performed and fulfilled duties that other cultures reserved for male-gendered roles. During the reign of an iNgwenyama (King), royal mothers faced severe problems, especially in ensuring continuity. Presenting a historical perspective from the standpoint of the Emalangeni illuminates how the essential sources of the royal family originated with them. The results of the accounts also provide an analysis of who the iNdlovukazi (Queen Mother) is, how or when she becomes one, and under what circumstances. Moreover, the positions of mothers in the royal family, namely the eMakhosikati (Queens), are situated around their role to that of the iNdlovukazi.

The compulsory subject Life Orientation in the school curriculum serves a central role in the socialization of learners into the constitutional imperative of non-discriminatory and democratic values as evidenced by the specific subject aims contained in the CAPS statement. Given the dearth of knowledge in the area of sexuality and the formation of sexual identity through curriculum materials, and framed by the sociological view that sexuality and sexual identity is a social construction, the aim of this study was to investigate the representation/construction of sexualities and sexual identities in a sample of Grade 10 Life Orientation textbooks. The study is informed by critical discourse theory in conjunction with queer theory and examines the vocabulary, grammar and textual structures of language, to expose how representations of sexuality implicitly and explicitly function to a construct and transmit dominant form of sexual identity. A selection of the content of three Life Orientation textbooks was analysed in terms of coverage given to LGBT sexualities and heterosexualities, using a quantitative research approach. The context and quality of those representations was also interrogated using qualitative methods including thematic content analysis and a queer critical discourse analysis to examine the discursive construction of those representations. A standard hegemonic notion of heterosexuality appears to be the all-pervasive and unexamined norm in the Life Orientation textbooks whereas LGBT identities, as revealed by a content and thematic analysis, are virtually invisible. Generally it would appear that Life Orientation textbooks transmit a dominant notion of heterosexuality as the norm, arising out of a common-sense understanding of sexuality which naturalizes a form of heterosexuality that privileges male desire and subordinates women. These underlying ideological meanings are revealed through an examination of the experiential, relational and expressive value of the language such as the lexicalization (connotations and denotations), overlexicalization, classificatory schemes, euphemism and register. Grammatical features for instance active and passive voice, nominalization, modality and the use of logical connectors also serve to bolster a heterosexual sexuality in the Life Orientation textbooks. Frequently, the stated intention of the writers to challenge stereotypes and prejudice would appear to be contradicted or betrayed by the language used and illustrations which further reinforce heterosexuality as a universal norm. Where LGBT identities are mentioned it is usually in the context of human rights, abuse, violation, pathology and emotional disorder.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Diversity Studies, July 2017 / Transgender students in higher education in South Africa are increasingly coming out. Though this coming out at huge to cost for them in terms of personal safety, alienation. potential harassment, bullying and discrimination, this group of students are insisting that campuses should be inclusive and safe for everyone irrespective of their gender, sexuality and/or sexual orientation. [Abbreviated Abstract. Open document to view full version] / XL2018

Thesis (M.Mus.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, Wits School of Arts, 2013.

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Political Studies Department, Faculty of Humanities, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa 8 March 2015 / HIV is the most pressing public health and development challenge facing Botswana. Reducing gender-related vulnerability to HIV is one of the top priorities of the government and its development partners. Civil society organisations (CSOs) have been identified as crucial in these efforts. As a result, civil society has grown in Botswana, in both numbers and size, to deliver services such as home-based care, counselling, and testing. Yet to reduce gendered vulnerability to HIV, social and human development goals must be met in several sectors of society. The focus on HIV-related services has implications in practise, policy, and theory that may compromise long-term development aims and co-opt civil society. This research draws on critical theory and uses action research methods to investigate the role of civil society in Botswana for reducing gendered vulnerability to HIV, now and in the future. The case of Botswana is a crucial one, as it has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates, as well as the resources, both domestic and from partners, to mobilise a comprehensive response. The combination of these factors has afforded the opportunity to gain insights to inform civil society theory and development approaches in both policy and practise to improve the HIV response and civil society’s role in it. Through a literature review, interviews with key informants, a survey, and a workshop, this research found that the HIV response in Botswana is addressing many of the issues suggested by global development partners, such as UNAIDS, at the policy level, though implementation is lacking, especially concerning male involvement in gender programming. It found that efforts to meet the immediate needs are in place, but the long-term strategic interests are only incrementally addressed. This suggests that HIV is causing a development deficit. Additionally, the roles that CSOs serve in the response are focussed on serving these immediate needs, making it increasingly difficult for the response to effect broader social change to achieve gender equality and development. Civil society is taking on more responsibility in the public sector, which puts it in a vulnerable position. Its role needs to be reconceptualised in the HIV response and in development more broadly. This research proposes theoretical and policy implications to inform civil society-state relations; approaches to address complicated social development issues, such as genderbased violence; and offers an 18-point analytical framework to address operational and programmatic capacities in civil society. The framework offers a new category for the dynamic analysis of civil society organisations while working with the state called ‘civil agents’. It also describes the bridge function that CSOs serve when working with key populations, such as sexual minorities, in criminalised settings. Together these theoretical and policy implications can contribute to the understanding of civil society in the HIV response, and gender equity in the context of the post-2015 global development agenda. Key words: Civil Society Organisations, Non-governmental Organisations, HIV, Gender, Botswana, Development, Critical Theory, Action Research / MT2016

Background This report examined the association and relationship between Migration, Gender and STIs among young adults in Lesotho. To achieve this, the first objective was to understand the historical trans-boundary relationship between Lesotho and South Africa and how it contributed to STIs among young adults in Lesotho. The report then described the relationship between migration and having had any STIs among young adults in Lesotho. After multivariate analysis the association, between gender and having had any STIs among young adults in Lesotho was explored for understanding. Methodology For data analysis, secondary data from the 2009 Lesotho Demographic Health Survey (LDHS) were used. The LDHS is a cross-sectional study, designed to provide estimates of health and demographic indicators at the national level, for urban-rural areas and for each of the ten districts in Lesotho. The sample size used for this report was N=6,270. The statistical methods employed for data analysis were descriptive analysis, to establish the distribution of young adult migrant groups, according to STIs, demographic, socioeconomic and sexual practices. A Chi-square test was done to test for association. And a multivariate analysis was done using the forward selection process, to examine the relationships between STIs, migration, gender and significant variables. Results Migration status was found to have an insignificant (p=0.237) association with STIs. On the other hand, after considering migration status and gender at multivariate level, migration status, specifically urban-non migrants, were found to have a significant (p<0.05) relationship with having had any STIs. Gender was found to have an insignificant (p=0.587) association with having had any STIs and an insignificant (p=0.365) relationship with having had any STIs. However at multivariate level being female was found to be 16% protective against having had any STIs. Conclusion The report found that the relationships between migration status and having had any STIs were closely linked to factors related to gender and social and cultural norms pertaining to sexual behaviour. These influences were reflected in the literature and empirical evidence of this research report.

Student Number : 9901978A - MA research report - School of Human and Community Development - Faculty of Humanities / This research explored the relationship between gender identity, body image and ego strength in men. A questionnaire consisting of a demographic section, the Bem Sex Role Inventory, the Adonis Complex Questionnaire- Revised, and the Psychosocial Inventory of Ego Strength was administered to 74 male students from the School of Actuarial Science and Statistics at the University of the Witwatersrand during lecture time. Correlation analyses were used to infer the relationships between the three variables, while a multiple regression assessed whether particular combinations of gender identity and ego strength could predict higher body image dissatisfaction. The results showed that both masculinity and androgyny had a positive effect on body image satisfaction, as did higher ego strength. The latter was also positively correlated with both femininity and masculinity, though not with androgyny. Body image disturbance did not correlate with any dimension of gender identity or ego strength. With regard to the interaction between the variables, higher ego strength was found to have a moderating effect on body image dissatisfaction in men who endorsed femininity, but not with men who endorsed masculinity. An androgynous orientation further predicted lower body image dissatisfaction irrespective of the degree of ego strength. Limitations of the study and recommendations for future research are discussed.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities School of Social Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment for the degree of Masters in Migration & Displacement. Johannesburg 2016 / Repatriation like any other form of migration is highly gendered. The objective of this research study is to analyze the gendered determinants of repatriation. I will explore various motivations for return and the general literature surrounding repatriation. My interest in the research was inspired by my experience working with Rwandan returnees where I encountered more female returnees than men. The other reason was the invocation of the cessation of Rwandan refugees on the 30th June 2013.The implication of the cessation meant to bring to closure to a close the refugee status of Rwandans who fled the country before 31st December 1998 and to find alternative status for those refugees still in need of international protection. An interesting observation is that despite this invocation by the end of 2013, the number of Rwandan refugees coming back did not increase as was expected. At the time of the interviews, the invocation of the cessation status of Rwandan refugees was a not an issue in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). However, a meeting held on the 2nd of October 2015 came up with new deadlines for the implementation on the cessation clause. This research follows a mini-research for my Honours degree that I conducted in 2014 with Rwandan refugees residing in Johannesburg. This work however differs from my previous pilot study in Johannesburg in two ways; in contrast to this research paper, my interviews in Johannesburg involved Rwandan refugees who had not taken the decision to return to Rwanda. Additionally, the refugee profile in South Africa comprised mostly political asylum-seekers while Rwandan refugees hosted in the DRC (my current research location) are mostly those who fled during the 1994 genocide. Voluntary repatriation is a contested issue. In various instances, refugees feel obliged to return either through active promotion of repatriation, reduction of aid in refugee camps or appalling conditions in countries of asylum. What is also evident is the politics between the countries of asylum and origin and the uncomfortable position the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) finds itself as it seeks to ensure the voluntary character of repatriation as is stipulated by the 1969 OAU convention. The gendered approach taken in migration studies reveals renegotiation of gender relations and roles as a result of displacement. Although the role of women changes considerably; social expectations puts more pressure on men to provide and as the limited livelihood opportunities during displacement curtails their primary role as breadwinners. Gender mainstreaming is one of the approaches employed by the, UNHCR to ensure that women are not only involved in all aspects of planning and development but also in issues of peace and security. The literature on repatriation, suggests that women and men consider different factors in their decision to return; men’s main concern is security while women dwell more on working structures like hospitals and schools for their children. During fieldwork, the household emerged as an important unit for repatriation decision making. The research employed a qualitative design. The tools for data collection included semi-structured in-depth questions for Rwandan refugee participants in Goma and key informants from the UNHCR and their government counterpart in the repatriation exercise the Commission Nationale pour les Réfugiés (CNR). In addition, I engaged in an extensive secondary data search through journals, books, the internet, newspapers and policy documents. Thematic analysis was utilized to analyze the collected data. Based on the findings, it was evident that Rwandan refugee men and women put into consideration different aspects in their decision to return to Rwandan. Men focused mostly on security issues both in the DRC and Rwanda while women considered working structures like schools, hospitals and the hope of reclaiming their spouses’ land for the sake of the children. On the decision to return, single women took the decision on their own while in the case of married couples, the men came up with the idea and discussed it with their wives and children. A cross cutting theme between the interviewed Rwandan refugee men and women was the important function of social networks as a pull factor for return. Social networking was especially important in obtaining information about the specific areas in Rwanda and also acted as assurance for temporary accommodation upon return and therefore reducing the cost of return migration. Based on the findings, access to information for both men and women was not mentioned as a major challenge owing to advances in technology (radios, internet, and mobile phones) and the presence of social networks. Keywords (Returnee, Cessation Clause, Repatriation, Reintegration, Decision-making process, Gender, Identity, Social networking) / MT2017

In this study, positive and negative sex role identities of 412 employees from organisations in South Africa were compared with regards to conflict management styles and psychological wellbeing. Three self- report questionnaires were administered to employees to measure the variables of positive and negative sex role identities, conflict management styles and psychological wellbeing. The self- report questionnaires included the 57- Item Revised Extended Personality Attributes Questionnaire (EPAQ-R), the Thomas- Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, and the Warwick- Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale. The results of the present study demonstrated overall significant differences among sex role identities and conflict management styles, sex role identities and psychological wellbeing, as well as conflict management styles and psychological wellbeing. In particular, the results were consistent with the proposed hypotheses in relation to sex role identities and conflict management styles. The results specified that the positively androgynous individual favoured the compromising conflict management style, the negatively androgynous individual preferred to avoid, the positively feminine sex role identity favoured the accommodating conflict management style, whereas the negatively feminine sex role identity preferred to avoid, and both the positively and negatively masculine sex role identities favoured the competing conflict management style. In relation to conflict management styles and psychological wellbeing, significant differences were found between compromising and accommodating, collaborating and accommodating, and avoiding and accommodating conflict management styles. In terms of sex role identity and psychological wellbeing, significant differences occurred between all the positive sex role identities and negative femininity, as well as between positive androgyny and the negative sex role identities. Unexpected findings relating to sex role identities and psychological wellbeing pertains to the significant difference between negative androgyny and negative femininity, as well as the undifferentiated sex role identity and negative femininity. Therefore, these results have provided support for the Differentiated Androgynous Model indicating that positive sex role identities are more socially equipped in terms of psychological adjustment in relation to the negative sex role identities. Non- significant results were obtained when investigating the interrelationship among all three variables.

Master of Arts in Applied Language and Literacy Education, University of Witwatersrand, 2017 / Recent studies maintain that the concept of a gender gap in literacy remains a large concern, as the gap between boys’ and girls’ reading literacy is reflected in studies conducted globally in which females consistently outperformed males. Therefore, this study discusses how perceptions about gender and reading practice are fabricated from a societal point of view. It presents the social cognitive theory of gender disparities in reading practices of grade 10 isiZulu First Additional language readers. Additionally, my study discusses how the readers with different language background and proficiency in isiZulu operate and respond when reading texts that are influenced by their own reading preferences. As a result, it identifies a variety of influences to be considered in gendered reading practices such as; the readers, the type of text, the activity, the language context, and the social and the cognitive aspects of reading practices. This qualitative research project investigated how six leaners of isiZulu First Additional grade 10 level, from various language backgrounds made meaning of informal texts over the course of four weeks. . Hence, I used a range of text types as a research tool in order to attend to this issue. To collect data, I therefore designed a series of questions through questionnaires, and observation schedule as means of authenticating the learners’ responses to institute the findings. Subsequently, by examining Barrett’s Taxonomy of reading comprehension, which focusses on cognitive and affective domains of reading, I conclude that reading is not only important for academic success, but also for negotiating our way through all aspects of life in an increasing bureaucratic society. Additionally, having background of reading literacy practices may grant chances of participation in the that society, as a result, those societal perceptions are likely to change if and when reading practices also grant chances to accommodate interests of the readers. Findings endorse that learners should be granted a chance of choosing texts that interest them so they can respond positively and accordingly, as, boys’ scores disagreed with previous research in a particular, comprehension component where they outscored the girls. / XL2018