This report is submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of masters by coursework and research report in the faculty of humanities in the university of Witwatersrand / This thesis explores the different ways that identities are negotiated and renegotiated in
different spaces. It intends to unearth the contradictions, tensions and complexities that
occur as a result of racialised subjectivities. This study unpacks the socially constructed
term "Coconut" and challenges the existing dominant discourses that speak of
"Coconuts" as inauthentic Black people who have lost touch with their heritage.What it
means to be Black today in South Africa is being contested and there is resistance
towards binary and rigid understandings and conceptualizations of blackness. In the
intersection of race and class, class is often the silent signifier of distinction and
difference post-apartheid but proves to be significant in understanding the different
nuanced lived experiences of the Black subject. This thesis is specifically interested in
how the inability to comprehend or communicate in an African language further
complicates and adds another layer of complexity to not only the lived experiences of
Black monolinguals proficient in English only, but also to their personal sense of self.
Being a "Coconut" is experienced in conflicted and precarious ways. On the one hand it
is experienced with alienation and rejection and in other contexts, it holds significant
value and serves as social cultural capital necessary for maneuvering social, political and
economic spaces.
Key words: Identity, Coconut, Blackness, Class, Cultural capital, Monolinguals,
Language, Accent, Racial subjectivity / GR2017
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/22426 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Letshufi, Bonolo |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | Online resource (135 leaves), application/pdf, application/pdf |
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