The aim of this research is to consider family as a kin network of exchange and to
show that manhood and fatherhood is a cultural value transacted within this network.
It attempts to also show that such value is variably negotiated as identity is performed
in relation to ideological constructs of space. To do this, the physical and ideological
space to which kin belong is explored as a cultural borderland, suggesting that
men/fathers are able to exceed bounded constructs of identity while also being subject
to them. In particular, I try to illuminate some of the dynamics that impact on
men’s/fathers’ negotiation of discursive codes of intra-cultural sameness and
difference to be valued not only as men/fathers, but as good at being men/fathers.
Within this context, some of the symbols of identity that enable a man/father to be
good at being a man/father are considered. The ethnography highlights the ways in
which men/fathers are able to access and mediate symbolic resources, showing how
these processes impact on their positioning on a continuum of self and worth. In this
regard, performances of providing in relation to performances of the social and
genetic imbrications of kinship constitute a key focus.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/5769 |
| Date | 20 October 2008 |
| Creators | Sigamoney, Veronica Lavinia |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf, application/pdf |
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