Master of Letters (with Merit) / The objective of this paper is to examine the self-portrait paintings of Frida Kahlo and to explore the way in which they articulate a ‘self’ and ‘identity’ through creating an innovative feminine vocabulary. The aim of this creative research is to explore the way in which Frida Kahlo represented her sexual subjectivity in the body of self-portraits she produced in her short life time. The self-portraits, some of which were produced in a state of severe physical disability and chronic illness, were also created in the shadow of her famous partner- socialist Mexican muralist/ revolutionary Diego Rivera. An examination of the significant body of self-portrait paintings produced by Frida Kahlo, informed by her personal letters, poems, and photographs, broadens the conventional definitions of subjective self beyond the generic patterns of autobiographical narrative, characteristic of an inherently masculine Western ‘self’. In Kahlo’s self-portraits the representation of the urban Mexican proletarian woman-child draws stylistically from the domain of European self-portraiture, early studio photographic portraiture, and the biographical Mexican Catholic retablo art, with its indebtedness to the ancient Aztec Indian symbology of self.

In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is central to political discourses and educational concerns as a means for economic development, poverty alleviation, youth employment, and social mobility. Yet, there is an intriguing contradiction between this consideration and the real attention dedicated to TVET. Research on African TVET is varied, but tends to be narrowly focused on issues of policies, economic strategies, cost-efficiency, curriculum contents, and outdated equipment. Offering an alternative inquiry, the purpose of this conceptual dissertation was to use critical education theory and post-colonial insights to explore the macro and micro challenges SSA TVET systems are facing in a global context. Indeed, in the era of economic and cultural globalization, the African continent has the opportunity to make its way toward socioeconomic development. Still, rich countries are getting richer and the poor poorer. The African continent is rich in natural, mineral, agricultural, human, and intellectual resources. Thus, there are opportunities for well-being and educational prosperity. However, all statistics show that Africans are the poorest in the world. I argue that this poverty is socially constructed and not an inevitable condition for Africans. Unemployment is a tough reality in SSA. The number of students enrolling in TVET is increasing. From the critical and post-colonial conceptual framework I illustrate structural and systematic concerns to show how SSA TVET systems involve oppression, exploitation, marginalization, prejudice, stereotypes, gender discrimination, reproduction, hegemony, and subalternity. Through the concept of democratic education Dewey and Freire offer, I envision, idealistically and realistically, a holistic and emancipatory TVET where the main concern would not just be to train hands but also heads. In so doing, SSA TVET could develop students' critical awareness about citizenship, self-determination, and problem-solving in order to create social cohesion, peace, and stability in Africa.

No description available.

No description available.

Plutarch’s Life of Philopoemen and Life of Titus Flamininus are often overlooked in favor of Plutarch’s more famous subjects. However, this biographical pair uniquely treats contemporary figures on opposing sides of the conflicts of the early 2nd century BCE: Philopoemen as the last great Greek general fighting for freedom, and Flamininus as the Roman general whose actions brought about Greece’s subjugation to Rome. Reading these biographies through a post-colonial lens reveals Plutarch’s internal resistance to the Roman subjugation. I argue that, although Plutarch does not outwardly denigrate the Roman conquest, he uses Flamininus and his flaws to criticize Rome’s subjugation of Greece. He simultaneously shows a preference for Philopoemen and the cause of Greek freedom throughout both works. He not only praises Greece’s former glory, but also condemns Rome’s dominant position over Greece. Despite Plutarch predating the traditional subjects of post-colonialism, this act of literary resistance to the Roman occupation justifies a close reading of these texts through a post-colonial lens.

This project aims to investigate the presentation of identity in Dalia Sofer’s novel Man of My Time with concepts coined by Homi K. Bhabha and further discussed by Stuart Hall and David Huddart. By first providing a background of historical context for Iran between 1950 and 1990, the thesis will then provide a discussion of the characters’ identities using concepts like hybridity, nationhood, stereotype, mimicry, and menace, while also providing relation to the real life experience of Iranians. Based on these results it is then discussed how much use there is for a concept like hybridity in the current political climate that is characterised by displacement and subjection. The need for fixed identity among minorities is explored before the research concludes by declaring that the concept of hybridity may be useful in other contexts but is not actionable for minorities that are forcefully stripped of it.

Abstract  Background: Healthcare communication by nonprofit organizations, such as the WHO, is facing challenges in today’s interconnected world. Healthcare communication has profound impact on human lives, such as on well-being. Understanding which factors play important roles in healthcare communication in today’s globalized world is therefore important. It is known that language and race representation in a message are such factors; yet, the relationship between the choice in language and race and the perception of a healthcare message is yet unclear. Objective: This study will explore the relationship between the choice of language and race representation in a healthcare message that has been communicated to people living in Cairo, Egypt, and the perception of this message, paying special attention to whether the English language is being perceived as superior compared to the official Arabic language. Methods: This study used a mixed-method approach. The methods included an online questionnaire among people residing in Cairo, Egypt, conducted between March 2023 and April 2023, consisting of two healthcare ads: a cardiac consultation by a non-Arabic (western) looking doctor (written in English) versus a consultation by an Arabic looking doctor (written in Arabic). The second method included an observational study of healthcare billboards present on the 6th of October Bridge in Cairo. Results: 464 questionnaire responses were analyzed and showed that language and race representation in a healthcare ad has impact on how participants perceived the healthcare ad. The healthcare service with the English content was perceived as better compared to the Arabic content, in terms of quality, knowledge and expertise. The observational study showed that healthcare billboards by nonprofit organizations in Cairo mainly contain the Arabic language, and equally use non-Arabic looking people as well as Arabic looking people. Conclusion: This study found a relationship between the choice of language and race representation in healthcare communication and how it is being perceived. English language and western race was perceived as superior compared to Arabic language and race. However, nonprofit organizations operating in Egypt currently use Arabic in their healthcare communication. Further research is needed to discover other factors that influence perception of healthcare communications, such as which language and race is preferred by the audience

In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel Americanah the young female protagonist is unexpectedly thrown into a life of marginalisation when she migrates from Nigeria to the American East coast. Having grown up in Nigeria her skin colour has neither been an issue nor of consideration to her, but it soon becomes apparent that elsewhere her complexion evokes expectations and functions as a breeding ground for prejudice. The aim of this essay is to discuss the remnants and effects of colonialism in past and present times including how postcolonialism is represented in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel Americanah. Additional focus will be placed both on the subaltern’s right to represent and resistance to conform. The intention is to show that through discrimination of minorities, marginalised people are compelled to use mimicry to attain equal status, and thus are forced to compromise their identity. Considering the novel’s protagonist later return to Nigeria, a secondary focus will be placed on the possibility and probability of restoration of one’s identity.

This dissertation is a theoretical and interpretative exploration of the prominent themes which are developed in the novel Die olifantjagters by Piet van Rooyen. The study focuses on the spatial aspects of the narrative and attempts to indicate how the novel contributes to the contemporary discourse on ecology and eco-critique. In the analysis of spatiality in the novel, special attention is paid to the dimension of Africa and African ecological issues. These include the typical ecological problems of developing countries, the Western presence in Africa and the dilemma of the indigenous people such as the Bushmen in a rapidly changing environment. Centering around the hunt on one of the last great elephants, the novel is deeply concerned with conservation of natural resources and related issues. The multi-cultural social structures of Southern African countries and the problems arising from cultural interaction, form an integral part of the novel and these are discussed extensively in the dissertation. In addition, the identity crises which the characters experience as a result of the processes of cultural interaction and environmental change, are explored against the backdrop of the political transformation of the subcontinent. Issues of identity are concerned with individual as well as group dynamics and almost the characters are thus involved in the redefinition of their own roles and their places in the world. Colonialism has been replaced by postcolonial ism, but power struggles continue to plague previously colonized countries such as South Africa and Namibia. The novel deals with this situation by depicting the conflicting ideas and ideals of people from developed countries who intend to do good and the viewpoints of the indigenous people of Africa. The novel presents a fresh and honest view of the contemporary situation in Southern Africa and thus contributes to the discourse on post-colonialism ecology, cultural change and the ways in which change affects identity, human relationships and the relation between man and Nature. An interpretation of Die olifantjagters therefore needs to take cognisance of Eco criticism, the debate on post colonialism and the dynamics of the power struggle. In conclusion, the contribution of literature to the contemporary ecological discourse is indicated. In spite of the fact that the novel is part of Western discourse in Africa and as such also part of the system of power relations in modern society, it does highlight the "green issue" and this novel will most probably lead to a greater awareness of ecological issues. / Thesis (M.A. (Afrikaans and Dutch))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2001

This dissertation is a theoretical and interpretative exploration of the prominent themes which are developed in the novel Die olifantjagters by Piet van Rooyen. The study focuses on the spatial aspects of the narrative and attempts to indicate how the novel contributes to the contemporary discourse on ecology and eco-critique. In the analysis of spatiality in the novel, special attention is paid to the dimension of Africa and African ecological issues. These include the typical ecological problems of developing countries, the Western presence in Africa and the dilemma of the indigenous people such as the Bushmen in a rapidly changing environment. Centering around the hunt on one of the last great elephants, the novel is deeply concerned with conservation of natural resources and related issues. The multi-cultural social structures of Southern African countries and the problems arising from cultural interaction, form an integral part of the novel and these are discussed extensively in the dissertation. In addition, the identity crises which the characters experience as a result of the processes of cultural interaction and environmental change, are explored against the backdrop of the political transformation of the subcontinent. Issues of identity are concerned with individual as well as group dynamics and almost the characters are thus involved in the redefinition of their own roles and their places in the world. Colonialism has been replaced by postcolonial ism, but power struggles continue to plague previously colonized countries such as South Africa and Namibia. The novel deals with this situation by depicting the conflicting ideas and ideals of people from developed countries who intend to do good and the viewpoints of the indigenous people of Africa. The novel presents a fresh and honest view of the contemporary situation in Southern Africa and thus contributes to the discourse on post-colonialism ecology, cultural change and the ways in which change affects identity, human relationships and the relation between man and Nature. An interpretation of Die olifantjagters therefore needs to take cognisance of Eco criticism, the debate on post colonialism and the dynamics of the power struggle. In conclusion, the contribution of literature to the contemporary ecological discourse is indicated. In spite of the fact that the novel is part of Western discourse in Africa and as such also part of the system of power relations in modern society, it does highlight the "green issue" and this novel will most probably lead to a greater awareness of ecological issues. / Thesis (M.A. (Afrikaans and Dutch))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2001