South Africa is a country of diversity, culture and various identities; and beneath this
diversity, lays the complexity of defining and owning a space for oneself. This study was
motivated with the
intention
to
understand
Black
women’s
representations
in
South
Africa
as
well as the social interactions evident in the relationship between a Black woman and her
hair. Literature elucidates on the historical richness of representation for Black people as well
as the contemporary relevance of representation for Black women in particular. Furthermore,
beauty discourse extends beyond the merely corporeal and finds meaning in historical,
political, and circumstantial frames of thought. Eight semi-structured interviews were
conducted with Black women. These interviews generated three discursive themes – hair and
politics, hair and media and finally, circumstantial self-representation. Exploring these themes
revealed that hair, as a projection of the self, is constantly redefining itself and its meaning in a
progressive social culture. Furthermore, women assume agency and a degree of importance
and identity from the hairstyles they choose to wear on a daily basis. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology-Research Consultation)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/9204 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Marco, Jenna-Lee |
| Contributors | Painter, Desmond, 1974-, Terre Blanche, M. J. (Martin J.) |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | 1 online resource (140, iv leaves) : illustrations, application/pdf |
| Rights | University of South Africa |
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