The purpose of this research is to explore gender representation in music videos on MTV Base Africa. The study attempts to determine if dominant hegemonic portrayals exist or whether space is made for alternative gender portrayals. The research involved observing and analysing a range and recurrence of masculine and feminine constructions. A random sample of 20 local and international music videos broadcast between January and May 2009 formed the basis of the analysis. A qualitative research design was used and data collected through a focus group method and semiotic analysis of music videos. The focus group sample was representative of selected groups in KwaZulu-Natal (Bluff and Westville). The results show that contesting discourses of power relations (race, class and gender) are in play. It appears that both counter hegemonic and hegemonic gender representations were present within the sample of music videos. The study demonstrates that competing gender discourses, including subordinate, ambiguous, high-class, low-class, middle-class, hegemonic and counter-hegemonic femininities and masculinities are operative. The conclusion reached is that contending gender constructions are present in music videos on MTV BASE Africa. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

My contention in this thesis is that gender identity in Ciceronian oratorical performance is a rhetorical tool that has two aspects: first, it enables Cicero as an orator to gain access to forensic space, and second, it facilitates the persuasion of his audience. The aim of this work is to discuss the concept of oratorical hegemony within a Ciceronian context; it is based on the idea that rhetoric functions in a political space essentially as a tool for governance regardless of the ideological leaning of the speaker or of the political or social body that he represents. The position taken in this thesis is that the rhetoric of a political orator such as Cicero is connected with a range of other factors that empower and lend versatility to his rhetorical position. Invariably, an orator such as Cicero has to manoeuvre within a wider context than what any particular speech situation might suggest on the surface. As a basis for examination, I have developed three models to create an appropriate framework for the discussions on oratorical hegemony. The first model, which I have termed the Anatomy of a Speech, shows only the stages of preparation and of the delivery of a speech. The second model, the Ciceronian Improvisatory Model, depicts the development of Cicero in his speeches during different periods of his public career. The third model, which I call the Phallic Model of Hegemonic Masculinity, is a sociological model constructed to accommodate the different structures of Roman Society. My deconstruction of the different sectors of the model form the core chapters in this thesis. Although this model has been informed by the close reading of social history that features in most discourses on gender, my discussion of the model implicitly challenges the view that women were universally and equally oppressed across races and cultures. My more important argument is that gender identity becomes not only a rhetorical tool in the hands of the orator but also a manipulative 'sign' within a social discourse. Although basic class and gender distinctions may be implicit in the orator's delivery. what matters more is his ability to deploy strategically the rhetorical means at his disposal. Issues relating to power, nationalism and the representation of men, women and slaves are discussed in connection with the orator's performance strategies in a political context. Because the Roman public forum is associated with competition and the young Roman male aspired to high honours and political attainments (laus et gloria) , power becomes a major issue in my discussion. The orator's quest for political and rhetorical glory entails challenging the best orators in the state and questioning the rationale behind the tendencies of some government administrators to abuse the rights of other members of civil society who are not as highly placed as they are in government. The orator progressively wields power through his performance of rhetoric, although when he is in the process of gaining national recognition for excellent speaking, he is apt to argue that his paramount concern is what is best for the state. Hard work in the oratorical arena often resulted in a high political profile for the orator, which occasionally led to the attainment of a powerful political position such as a consulship, a position achieved by Gieero himself in 63 BC. Cieero's ability to represent himself, contemporary events and his subjects imaginatively while delivering his speeches enabled him to persuade his audience on many occasions. Cicero's alternation between the spaces of senate and general assembly as consul and the kind of discourses that he develops in each space are important subjects of discussion in this thesis. Furthermore, Cicero's private persona is considered by examining his fears and anxieties to establish how much distance there is between his public self and private self. Within a cluster of personae, the stress to which Cicero is subjected opens him up to express in the oratorical arena certain fears that normally are meant for the private space in a Roman context. To complete my deconstruction of the Phallic Model of Hegemonic Masculinity, I have chosen to discuss Cicero's representation of slaves as a social manifestation of the bottom rung of the Roman world. Because discussions of oratorical hegemony in the Roman republic not only undertake to consider how it is used as a tool for governance but also its effect upon slaves, who represent the lowest stratum of the social order, this thesis examines Cicero's representation of the role, function and employment of slaves in respect to the power relations that existed between the dominant group and that particular subordinated group. In the final analysis, oratorical hegemony is not a paradigm for a specific orator. Oratorical hegemony functions among a group of orators who have gained political ascendancy through their performance of rhetoric. Cicero is not just a historical figure but he also represents a concept or form of oratorical hegemony. This thesis ultimately explains how Cicero selVes as a model for the exercise of this kind of oratorical practice. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

Genom att intervjua fyra personer som identifierar sig som trans har denna studie undersökt hur upplevelsen av att identifiera sig med en könsidentitet som inte överensstämmer med samhällsnormen påverkat vid valet av vad individen vill jobba med. Med utgångspunkt i queerteori och kvalitativ metod har resultatet visat att deltagarnas möjlighetshorisont influeras av diskriminering, psykisk ohälsa och den påfrestning som uppstår hos individerna av att verka i ett normativt samhälle. För dessa individer blir arbetsplatsens kultur och förståelse för behovet av acceptans och trygghet viktigare än vilken bransch individen söker sig till. Hur synlig individen vill eller orkar vara påverkar också intresset för olika yrken. Studien bekräftar att samhällets utformning begränsar vissa möjligheter till anställning för personer som identifierar sig som trans. / By interviewing four individuals who define themselves as transgender, this study has researched how identifying with a gender that does not conform to the views of normative society effects their choice of vocation. Taking queer theory as a point of departure and using a qualitative interview method the results show that the respondents’ horizon for action is limited by the influence of discrimination, mental health and the strains experiences by simply living in a normative society. Acceptance and feeling safe in the workplace therefore becomes of particular importance, more so than what profession one chooses or the tasks that such a position entails. To what extent the individual wants or has the energy to be visible in their employment affects how appealing a line of work is but society itself also limits the possibilities for certain employment positions due to identifying oneself as transgender.

This thesis is concerned with inscriptions of gender and space in the novels of two African women writers, Mariama Bâ and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, particularly Bâ’s So Long a Letter (1981) and Scarlet Song (1986) and Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus (2004) and Half of a Yellow Sun (2006). The exploration of representations of gendered identity is thus integrated with an awareness of space/place. By exploring the demarcation and enunciation of space within my chosen texts, I hope to provide new perspectives on the question of gendered identities and relations. The theorizing of gender identities and relations thus gains a new orientation from its application in relation to the theorizing of space and spatiality. As many theorists have argued, space is an important aspect to consider because it is not a neutral site: it becomes invested with meanings and encodes particular values and relations of power which can be contested and negotiated. This is particularly evident when looking at questions of gender identity, roles and relations. ‘Geographies of gender’ are established not only in the coding of spaces as ‘masculine’ and feminine’ but also in the kinds of sociality which they encourage and the power-relations they encode. If space is central to masculinist power, it is also important in the development of feminine resistance. Drawing on a range of theorists, I endeavour to pursue a gendered analysis of space/place through a reading of particular locations (the home, the street, the village) as expressive of power relations, gender identities and roles. I also consider how space/place is differently experienced and inhabited by men and women as well as how dominant constructions of space/place, which are also invested with meaning and power relations, come to be negotiated or contested. In all four novels explored in this thesis, the home is revealed as a dominant site of inscription, a space which tends to reflect and reinforce dominant social identities and roles. In this sense, the home is often figured as a site of patriarchal and gendered oppression, a central domain in which normative definitions of gender are established and reinforced. What is also clear, however, is that way in which the home also becomes a site for the contestation and renegotiation of gender identities and roles, a place where conventional identities can be challenged and new identities explored. In this sense, the home is revealed as a major site of contestation in which the tensions between different experiences and interpretations of space based on contrasting cultural definitions of power relations, gender identities and roles are played out. If the ordering of space is an important means of securing dominant gender relations, it also provides the means for negotiation and resistance. This is reflected not only the alternative ii examples of home explored in these novels but also in liberating spaces such as the school, the beach and the university. In the destabilisation and destruction of the home, the links between self and place becomes apparent as new identities are formed and conventional roles are redefined.

This study examined gender portrayals in the film, The Crvinq Game. The societal labels for gender, "masculine" and "feminine," are not negative in and of themselves. However, when they are coupled with stereotypes, their power to direct behavior and perception formation can rob people of their freedom to be simply "human." This study primarily focused upon the costs of maintaining, challenging, and abandoning gender role stereotypes as illustrated in The Crvinq Game. Sonja Foss's four-step approach to feminist criticism was used as a tool for examination of this film.By examining the appearances, attitudes, and behaviors of the four central characters in the film, two messages emerged. First, in all four cases, being of a feminine nature was less desirable than being of a masculine nature. Second, Neil Jordan, the film's director, prescribes that all people should transcend the boundaries of gender, and simply allow themselves and others to be human.Jordan's humanistic message also provides insight into expansion of rhetorical methods and theories. Feminist criticism and Queer theory could attempt to transcend the boundaries of gender, and work toward the inclusion of all non-traditional sex roles. / Department of Speech Communication

Given the continuing imbalances and current crisis with regard to gender-based violence in South Africa, the education of learners with regard to gender-based issues has been identified as critical. The South African school curriculum includes the compulsory subject, Life Orientation, which explicitly includes human rights issues such as gender equality. While official education policy documents promote gender equality in accordance with South Africa‟s Constitution and Bill of Rights, the teaching-learning thereof is not adequately articulated in classroom practice. This study seeks to explore this discrepancy. The study is located within a feminist paradigm, the common aim of which is to challenge gender inequalities in society and contribute to the transformation of the lives of women. Literature was reviewed and provides clarification of the concept of gender equality, and in particular, in the context of education and schooling, and subsequent classroom practices. Sociological theories underpinning the construction of identity, together with a psychological approach, namely the Dialogical Self Theory, complemented by the concept of „identity capital‟, construct the theoretical framework and the lens through which to analyse the data. In keeping with the feminist research paradigm, narrative inquiry is the preferred research methodology. Methods for data collection include self-administered questionnaires, written narratives and semi-structured, individual, face-to-face interviews. Nine female teachers of Life Orientation, teaching in six different schools, in four provinces in South Africa, voluntarily participated in this study. Employing narrative analysis, the crystallised data are presented in nine individual portraits. Each of these is analysed and discussed according to the concepts of the theoretical sociological and psychological framework. The data analysis gives insight into the selected teachers‟ understanding of gender equality, the position in general of women in their religious and cultural discourses, and their own positioning in their personal, social and professional domains. The findings of this study show that the strength of a teacher‟s „identity capital‟ informs her gender identity transformation. Increased extent and strength of „identity capital‟, enabling the articulation of gender identity transformation in every domain of their lives, has the potential of developing teachers‟ classroom practice into classroom praxis. Effective teaching-learning about gender equality has the potential of informing the development of their female and male learners and to be transformative for South African society. This study contributes to research on teacher identity, the development of their normative professionalism, and teaching-learning in classroom practice. The findings also inform a broader international SANPAD1 research project, (2010 – 2012). Recommendations for further research include issues relating to professional teacher education programmes, focusing on extending and strengthening teachers‟ „identity capital‟ as the core stimulus for the development of teachers‟ normative professionalism. / Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Development Innovation and Evaluation))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Given the continuing imbalances and current crisis with regard to gender-based violence in South Africa, the education of learners with regard to gender-based issues has been identified as critical. The South African school curriculum includes the compulsory subject, Life Orientation, which explicitly includes human rights issues such as gender equality. While official education policy documents promote gender equality in accordance with South Africa‟s Constitution and Bill of Rights, the teaching-learning thereof is not adequately articulated in classroom practice. This study seeks to explore this discrepancy. The study is located within a feminist paradigm, the common aim of which is to challenge gender inequalities in society and contribute to the transformation of the lives of women. Literature was reviewed and provides clarification of the concept of gender equality, and in particular, in the context of education and schooling, and subsequent classroom practices. Sociological theories underpinning the construction of identity, together with a psychological approach, namely the Dialogical Self Theory, complemented by the concept of „identity capital‟, construct the theoretical framework and the lens through which to analyse the data. In keeping with the feminist research paradigm, narrative inquiry is the preferred research methodology. Methods for data collection include self-administered questionnaires, written narratives and semi-structured, individual, face-to-face interviews. Nine female teachers of Life Orientation, teaching in six different schools, in four provinces in South Africa, voluntarily participated in this study. Employing narrative analysis, the crystallised data are presented in nine individual portraits. Each of these is analysed and discussed according to the concepts of the theoretical sociological and psychological framework. The data analysis gives insight into the selected teachers‟ understanding of gender equality, the position in general of women in their religious and cultural discourses, and their own positioning in their personal, social and professional domains. The findings of this study show that the strength of a teacher‟s „identity capital‟ informs her gender identity transformation. Increased extent and strength of „identity capital‟, enabling the articulation of gender identity transformation in every domain of their lives, has the potential of developing teachers‟ classroom practice into classroom praxis. Effective teaching-learning about gender equality has the potential of informing the development of their female and male learners and to be transformative for South African society. This study contributes to research on teacher identity, the development of their normative professionalism, and teaching-learning in classroom practice. The findings also inform a broader international SANPAD1 research project, (2010 – 2012). Recommendations for further research include issues relating to professional teacher education programmes, focusing on extending and strengthening teachers‟ „identity capital‟ as the core stimulus for the development of teachers‟ normative professionalism. / Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Development Innovation and Evaluation))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

This dissertation sought to delve into the deconstruction of the male gender and thus touch on the undercurrents accruing from changing masculine identities in South Africa. In retrospect, the empirical research conducted interrogated renegotiated male identities i.e. from authoritative, breadwinner, man-of the- house etc. to scholar, nurturer, liberal etc. It looked at the transformation of masculinities within the gender discourse and asked if given the foregoing, whether men are indeed reconstructing their gendered identities in contemporary times. Analysis of perspectives concerning interpretations given to contemporary perceptions of masculinities was gleaned from a fraction of male students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) , Howard College campus. These students had undertaken an introductory gender studies module course at the campus. Face-to-face, in-depth interviews were conducted with the participants of this study. Some findings from the study indicate that urbanisation and formal education play a role in mapping out new gendered identities among the young men interviewed. A cosmopolitan and urban environment may be contributing to novel ways that young men are enacting their masculinity. Several participants talked of emergent cliques and labelling that was a contributory factor to behaviour change as well as peer pressure. Nevertheless, for a number of them, cultural or traditional constructs still had some pull though some participants gave indications of interrogating which traditions to follow even though they still highly valued their cultures. Recommendations gleaned from this study were therefore juxtaposed against the need to establish a: more egalitarian environment in the hope of achieving gender equity. Due to the level of interrogation the participants showed in relation to their gendered identities, there is a need to pro-actively and continuously engage men in various gender equity programmes. As these young men's identities are in a constant state of flux, there was also a need to continuously interrogate what changes men are undergoing and what specifically propels them to behave in certain ways. Other than paying attention to how urbanisation and formal education impacts young men in a contemporary sense, it is also recommended that attention be paid to how older male role models impact on young men's identity formation. Key words: Masculinities, Gender identities, Contemporary identities, Social constructIonism / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2008.

“Understanding young Christian religious men’s constructions of masculine identity” This study aims to address the question of whether and how religious belief, affiliation and identity impacts on young men’s construction of masculine identity. Looking at how young men construct a socially acceptable masculinity, it explores how they position themselves in relation to this socially normative hegemonic masculinity. Alongside this, the study looks at whether and how young men construct alternative versions of masculinity and how a religious identity impacts on the young men’s masculine identities. Participants in the study (N=5) were all young men ranging in age from 18 to 25 years old, and all held a strong religious affiliation. Through a series of in-depth interviews, the participants gave their accounts of what it means to be a man in their lives, giving examples of how they both accepted and rejected the social norms of masculinity, as well as describing how their religious affiliation impacted on their lives. A common version of hegemonic masculinity was identified by the participants, characterised by male authority, emotional stoicism and symbolised through physical strength and material possessions. But alongside this the participants identified alternate versions of masculinity that tended to oppose hegemonic ideals. There was a strong focus from the participants on the impact of their religious affiliation on their masculine identity, with religious values taking precedence when in conflict with a hegemonic identity. It was found that the participants tended to perform a hybrid version of masculinity, with a hegemonic and religious identity existing in parallel. This new version of masculinity is argued to be an alternative version of a hegemonic masculinity that has emerged in response to their religious identity, and is consistent with other gendered developments in the South African context. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

There is great potential for the work of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari in the realm of queer theory, and specifically discussions of gender variance. Their critique of psychiatry, capitalism and the unitary subject in Anti-Oedipus (1983) fits well within the current discussions surrounding transgender and genderqueer experiences including Gender Identity Disorder classifications, the commodification of queer culture, and the challenges put forth to our the "modern subject" by the fluidity of genderqueer. Yet strangely, there has not yet been an explicit, in-depth Deleuzoguattarian ontological reading of genderqueer. This thesis helps to foster such discussions by focusing on Deleuzoguattarian understandings of subjectivity, bodies and politics and how they relate to both gender and genderqueer. Through a method of involution, gender is transformed into molecular gender, into a productive, immanently relational, multiplicitous gender that has substantial implications for gender(queer) politics and activism. / Graduate