scholarly journals Shaping the self: A Bildungsroman for girls?

Literator ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 125-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Noomé
Keyword(s):  
Social Integration ◽  
South African ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Young Female ◽  
The Self ◽  
The South ◽  
Female Protagonists ◽  
Anne Of Green Gables ◽  
Little Women ◽  
Female Version

This article proposes that two alternative forms of the “Bildungsroman” developed from circa 1860 to 1960, featuring young female protagonists and aimed at girls as a readership. To explore this proposition, the article initially focuses on three girls’ series to see whether they meet the criteria for classification as a “Bildungsroman”: the South African “Soekie” series written in Afrikaans by Ela Spence, the well-known Canadian “Anne of Green Gables” series by L.M. Montgomery, and the German “Pucki” series by Magda Trott. In these series girls have to learn through experience as they move toward happiness and maturity. Secondly, the article explores the presentation of the female quest, as well as some development options “in parallel” in such novels as Louisa May Alcott’s now classic “Little women” and “Good wives”. The article concludes that some novels for girls move towards an exploration of personal development from childhood to maturity, but that the criteria for the “Bildungsroman” should be adjusted to include forms other than the single novels and novels focused on one protagonist that are more typical of the “male” “Bildungsroman”. It also suggests that the criteria for maturity, self-actualisation and social integration need qualification in the “female” version of this genre.

scholarly journals Creolization and the Production and Negotiation of Boundaries in Breyten Breytenbach's Recent Work

Nordlit ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Hein Viljoen
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
South African ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
The Self ◽  
The South

Much of the South African poet Breyten Breytenbach's work has been concerned with borders. In this article I examine borders and creolization in three important poems from Nine landscapes of our time bequeathed to a beloved (Nege landskappe bemaak aan 'n beminde, 1993), Paper flower (Papierblom, 2002) and The wind-catcher (Die windvanger, 2007). The link between creolization and boundaries is the poet's conception of identity and freedom. As is often the case the boundaries of the self are questioned as the poet permutates the central concepts. Crossing boundaries entails entering into dialogue not only with the self but also with the mother tongue itself and with a variety of other artists and writers. In other words, in Breytenbach's work an abrogation and appropriation of the own tradition ("erfgoed") as well as of material from others, other places and other traditions occur. In these three case studies in particular it is clear how the poet stretches and deforms boundaries as part of his poetic project to concretize a dynamic freedom.

scholarly journals Self-perceived employability among undergraduate students at a South African university

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doret Botha
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
The Self ◽  
The South ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Perceived Employability ◽  
Managerial Implications

Orientation: South Africa has been suffering from persistently high levels of unemployment since 2008. The youth is regarded as the most at-risk group in the South African labour market and unemployment amongst the youth is considered one of the most critical socio-economic problems in South Africa. Increasing one’s employability is essential to securing employment and enhancing one’s well-being.Research purpose: This study aimed to explore the self-perceived employability of undergraduate students at a South African university.Motivation for the study: Currently, there is a scarcity of published research on the self-perceived employability amongst undergraduate students at higher education institutions in South Africa.Research approach/design and method: The study was conducted within a positivistic research paradigm. A quantitative-based cross-sectional survey design was used. Convenience sampling was used to select the students who were included in the survey. Data were collected through a web-based survey, using a standardised coded questionnaire that consisted of a five-point Likert-type scale.Main findings: The results indicated that the respondents were relatively confident about their internal employability, but they were less confident about their opportunities in the external labour market.Practical/managerial implications: Understanding one’s employability and the accompanied issues creates awareness of one’s potential, skills and knowledge to become a successful citizen and employee.Contribution/value-add: The study shed light on the self-perceived employability of undergraduate students at a South African university and consequently contributes to the existing literature on employability in the South African context.

DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP SKILLS OF PROJECT AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Murendeni Liphadzi ◽  
Clinton Aigbavboa
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
South African ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Leadership Skills ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
The South ◽  
Construction Firms ◽  
Secondary Sources

The construction industry is one of the major industries in South Africa. Like any other industry, strong leadership is vital for its growth. Moreover in order to stay competitive, South African construction firms must find a way to train their project and construction managers to become competent leaders in their specific disciplines. It is to this end, that the study presents findings on how leaders can be developed in the South African construction industry. The data used in this research were derived from both primary and secondary sources. The secondary data was collected via a detailed review of related literature. The primary data was collected through a structured questionnaire aimed at 150 projects and construction managers in the South African construction industry. From the 150 distributed questions, only 110 questionnaires were received and subsequently data based on the received questionnaire which was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that, education and qualification can help develop leaders in the South African construction industry. This was followed by leadership training courses, taking responsibility, new challenges, and internal motivation, professional and personal development. The study explores leadership and leadership development in the South African construction industry. The study presents a robust background about the construction industry and the importance of leadership.

scholarly journals Exporting ‘The Cotter's Saturday Night’: Robert Burns, Scottish Romantic Nationalism and Colonial Settler Identity

Romanticism ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-89
Author(s):  
Sarah Sharp
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
South African ◽  
The Self ◽  
The South ◽  
Saturday Night ◽  
Cultural Baggage ◽  
The Way ◽  
At Home

A Scottish literary icon of the nineteenth century, Burns's ‘The Cotter's Saturday Night’ was a key component of the cultural baggage carried by emigrant Scots seeking a new life abroad. The myth of the thrifty, humble and pious Scottish cottager is a recurrent figure in Scottish colonial writing whether that cottage is situated in the South African veld or the Otago bush. This article examines the way in which Burns's cotter informed the myth of the self-sufficient Scottish peasant in the poetry of John Barr and Thomas Pringle. It will argue that, just as ‘The Cotter’ could be used to reinforce a particular set of ideas about Scottish identity at home, Scottish settlers used Burns's poem to respond to and cement new identities abroad.

scholarly journals Memory, embodiment, ethics: In conversation with Wentzel van Huyssteen’s work on theological anthropology

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Vosloo
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Personal Identity ◽  
Theological Anthropology ◽  
Paul Ricoeur ◽  
Memory Studies ◽  
The Self ◽  
The South ◽  
Theological Discourse ◽  
Paul Ricœur ◽  
Key Features

This article focuses on Wentzel van Huyssteen’s work on theological anthropology, attending especially to his emphasis on the temporal and narrative dimension of personal identity. In this regard, Van Huyssteen draws on the thought of Paul Ricoeur, including his view that memory is the gateway to the self. With this in mind, the first part of the article highlights some key features of Van Huyssteen’s engagement the last decade or two with the question what it means to be human, namely the affirmation of interdisciplinarity, embodiment and vulnerability. The argument is put forward that Van Huyssteen’s work invites and displays the need to uphold the interconnections between embodiment, memory, vulnerability, imagination and empathy. It is furthermore claimed that his constructive proposals ‘in search of self’ should be seen as inextricably connected with its crucial ethical and theological motivation and contours.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article focuses on the South African theologian Wentzel van Huyssteen’s work on theological anthropology. He is internationally renowned, and this article discusses key features of his views and brings it into conversation with the work of the philosopher Paul Ricoeur and perspectives from memory studies. As such, it presents a novel engagement that can enrich systematic theological discourse.

scholarly journals Reading Dress: Fashion And Friendship In A Little Princess And Anne Of Green Gables

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaclyn Marcus
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Literature ◽  
Young Female ◽  
Social Identities ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Female Protagonists ◽  
Girl Culture ◽  
Frances Hodgson Burnett ◽  
Anne Of Green Gables ◽  
The Social

This Major Research Project (MRP) argues that fashion is a key tool for the critical examination of textual and visual works. Specifically, this research illustrates fashion’s impact on the social identities of young female protagonists in early-twentieth-century adolescent literature, through a comparative literary study of A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. Engaging theories of fashion, literature, and girl culture, as well as theories of semiotics and fashion diffusion, dress is shown to be instrumental in developing episodes of closeness and friendship for the protagonists in these novels, along with moments that may isolate them. This MRP examines the illustrations and accompanying textual descriptions found in the 1905 (London) and 1908 (Boston) editions of each work in order to expose fashion’s mirroring and shaping of social identity; ultimately, this study reveals the tension between fashion’s ability to both cement and subvert dominant cultural norms and ideals at the turn of the century.

scholarly journals What’s left of ‘the left’ in post-apartheid South Africa?

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 291-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen R Hurt
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
The Self ◽  
Current Development ◽  
Growth Path ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
The South ◽  
Broad Agreement ◽  
The Masses ◽  
Meaningful Sense

This article addresses the question of ‘the left’ in contemporary South Africa in two senses: first, in terms of assessing the health of leftist politics; second, it asks to what extent are the self-identified left progressive in any meaningful sense. The first half of this article reflects on the current development situation in South Africa. Here, it is argued that within most sections of the South African left, there is broad agreement on the need to address the triple challenge of unemployment, rising inequality and poverty. The second half of this article identifies three broad sections to the contemporary left in South Africa (the Tripartite Alliance, the left outside the Alliance and the remnants of the revolutionary socialist left). It argues that the left within the Alliance, despite the launch of the New Growth Path, are failing to implement the sufficiently radical policy changes that are required to address the development challenges identified in the first half of this article. The left outside the Alliance, meanwhile, despite recent attempts at coordination, lacks influence and remains disconnected from the masses.

scholarly journals Reading Dress: Fashion And Friendship In A Little Princess And Anne Of Green Gables

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaclyn Marcus
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Literature ◽  
Young Female ◽  
Social Identities ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Female Protagonists ◽  
Girl Culture ◽  
Frances Hodgson Burnett ◽  
Anne Of Green Gables ◽  
The Social

This Major Research Project (MRP) argues that fashion is a key tool for the critical examination of textual and visual works. Specifically, this research illustrates fashion’s impact on the social identities of young female protagonists in early-twentieth-century adolescent literature, through a comparative literary study of A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. Engaging theories of fashion, literature, and girl culture, as well as theories of semiotics and fashion diffusion, dress is shown to be instrumental in developing episodes of closeness and friendship for the protagonists in these novels, along with moments that may isolate them. This MRP examines the illustrations and accompanying textual descriptions found in the 1905 (London) and 1908 (Boston) editions of each work in order to expose fashion’s mirroring and shaping of social identity; ultimately, this study reveals the tension between fashion’s ability to both cement and subvert dominant cultural norms and ideals at the turn of the century.

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