Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2015 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis undertakes a comparative reading of post-colonial literature written in English in
Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe to bring into focus the similarities and differences
between fictional representations of poverty in these three countries. The thesis explores the
unique way in which literature may contribute to the better understanding of poverty, a field
that has hitherto been largely dominated by scholarship that relies on quantitative analysis as
opposed to qualitative approaches. The thesis seeks to use examples from selected texts to
illustrate that (as many social scientists have argued before) literature provides insights into
the ‘lived realities’ of the poor and that with its vividly imagined specificities it illuminates
the broad generalisations about poverty established in other (data-gathering) disciplines.
Selected texts from the three countries destabilise the usual categories of gender, race and
class which are often utilised in quantitative studies of poverty and by so doing show that
experiences of poverty cut across and intersect all of these spheres and the experiences differ
from one person to another regardless of which category they may fall within. The three main
chapters focus primarily on local indigence as depicted by texts from the three countries. The
selection of texts in the chapters follows a thematic approach and texts are discussed by
means of selective focus on the ways in which they address the theme of poverty. Using three
main theorists – Maria Pia Lara, Njabulo Ndebele and Amartya Sen – the thesis focuses
centrally on how writers use varying literary devices and techniques to provide moving
depictions of poverty that show rather than tell the reader of the unique experiences that
different characters and different communities have of deprivation and shortage of basic
needs. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis onderneem ‘n vergelykende studie van post-koloniale letterkunde in Engels uit
Botswana, Namibië en Zimbabwe, om sodoende die ooreenstemmings en verskille tussen
letterkundige uitbeeldings van armoede in hierdie drie lande aan die lig te bring. Die tesis
ondersoek die unieke manier waarop letterkunde kan bydra tot ‘n beter begrip van armoede,
‘n studieveld wat tot huidiglik grotendeels op kwantitatiewe analises berus, in teenstelling
met kwalitatiewe benaderings. Die tesis se werkswyse gebruik voorbeelde uit gelekteerde
tekste met die doel om te illustreer (soos verskeie sosiaal-wetenskaplikes reeds aangevoer
het) dat letterkunde insig voorsien in die lewenservarings van armoediges en dat dit die breë
veralgemenings aangaande armoede in ander (data-gebaseerde) wetenskappe kan illumineer.
Geselekteerde tekste uit die drie lande destabiliseer die gewone kategorieë van gender, ras en
klas wat normaaalweg gebruik word in kwantitatiewe studies van armoede, om sodoende aan
te toon dat die ervaring van armoede dwarsdeur hierdie klassifikasies sny en dat hierdie tipe
lewenservaring verskil van persoon tot persoon ongeag in watter kategorie hulle geplaas
word.
Die drie sentrale hoofstukke fokus primêr op lokale armoede soos uitgebeeld in tekste vanuit
die drie lande. Die seleksie van tekste in die hoofstukke volg ‘n tematiese patroon en tekste
word geanaliseer na aanleiding van ‘n selektiewe fokus op die maniere waarop hulle armoede
uitbeeld. Deur gebruik te maak van ‘ die teorieë van Maria Pia Lara, Njabulo Ndebele en
Amartya Sen, fokus hierdie tesis sentraal op hoe skrywers verskeie literêre metodes en
tegnieke aanwend ten einde ontroerende uitbeeldings van armoede te skep wat die leser wys
liewer as om hom/haar slegs te vertel aangaande die unieke ervarings wat verskillende
karakters en gemeenskappe het van ontbering en die tekort aan basiese behoefte-voorsiening.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/96749 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Butale, Phenyo |
| Contributors | Steiner, Tina, Gagiano, Annie, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of English. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA, English |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 261 pages |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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