Positionality and Performance: Staging Antony and Cleopatra for South African schools in the context of decolonisation imperatives

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Néka Da Costa
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Performance Studies ◽  
Antony And Cleopatra ◽  
Pedagogical Strategies ◽  
Short Supply ◽  
Children's Theatre ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Dialogic Approach ◽  
African Context ◽  
And Performance

Since the start of the #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall campaigns in 2015–16, decolonisation has been a prominent topic in the South African academy. Yet practical guidance as to how one might start to apply decolonisation and transformation strategies tangibly, both in education and pedagogy – and, more precisely for the purposes of this article, in theatre and performance spaces – has been in short supply. By adopting a dialogic approach which prioritises the voices of her collaborators, the author contextualises and critiques some of the key creative, philosophical and pedagogical strategies employed while rehearsing and performing a school’s touring production of Antony and Cleopatra for the National Children’s Theatre in 2018. Shakespeare is a symbol of colonial and imperial legacies, and the relevance of his work in both English and Performance Studies curricula merits scrutiny, as does the way in which we discuss, teach, perform and value it. Through an unfolding acknowledgement of the author’s own positionality in relation to the text and its performance in a contemporary South African context, this article exemplifies some of the contradictions and productive discoveries of the Antony and Cleopatra process, in the hopes of contributing to a more action-based approach to decolonisation and social justice in practising the arts and in arts education.

My living theory of a professional framework for art education

2020 ◽  
pp. 147675032097101
Author(s):  
Merna Meyer ◽  
Lesley Wood
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Transformational Learning ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Leadership Skills ◽  
Art Teachers ◽  
Pedagogical Strategies ◽  
Diverse Learning ◽  
African Context ◽  
Learning Platforms ◽  
Reflective Practitioners

This article explains my living educational theory in the form of a professional framework that I call PART, which conceptually unites the roles of the artist, researcher and teacher (ART) to foster critical, participatory (P), and socially engaged action. I discuss how I improved my practice over four action research cycles to be more in line with my professed values of creativity, connectedness and care, followed by six learning platforms conducted with pre-service art teachers and community children in a South African context. Evidence of the students’ transformational learning was gathered over six learning platforms. Reflecting on my observations, pedagogical strategies and on students’ visual images and critical reflections on their learning, I found that the professional framework changed pre-service art teachers’ views – they became more learner-centred, using art as a mediating tool to engage learners in thinking about critical social issues and developed collaborative and leadership skills. The fundamental principles of the framework, aimed at developing critically engaged and reflective practitioners, working in diverse learning environments could be applied to almost any discipline within teacher education.

scholarly journals The construct validity of the revised job diagnostic survey

2007 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Buys ◽  
C. Olckers ◽  
P. Schaap
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Construct Validity ◽  
South African ◽  
Item Analysis ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
South African Context ◽  
The South ◽  
African Context ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Job Diagnostic Survey

The Job Characteristics Model, the accompanying Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) and the proposed steps for improving motivation, satisfaction and performance have been functionally utilized in South Africa as a revised job redesign practice to address some critical human resources problems currently facing managers and human resources practitioners. The aim of the study was ] to determine the construct validity of the Revised Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) in the South African context. The Revised JDS was evaluated using item analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The finding of this study is in favour of the Revised JDS as a reliable and factorially valid instrument for South African use. The promising results of this study should pave the way for further research and the search for more conclusive evidence on the construct validity of the Revised JDS in the South African context.

scholarly journals Waves of Data

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 80-83
Author(s):  
Greg Niemeyer
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Performance Studies ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
City Planning ◽  
University Of California ◽  
National Endowment ◽  
The Arts ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The City ◽  
Positive Effect

With Brittney Silva’s tragic May 2014 death fresh in everyone’s memory, the city of San Leandro began collaboration efforts between them and University of California, Berkeley to do something to make the city safer for pedestrians. A course was developed at UC Berkeley called Sensing Cityscapes, offered Fall 2015, aiming to collect data about human activities too often ignored. As part of the interdisciplinary UC Berkeley Global Urban Humanities Initiative, the class aimed to harness methods not just from city planning, engineering, and architecture, but from the humanistic disciplines, cognitive science, art, public health, and performance studies, bringing students together from each field. We now are bringing the installation back to the streets of San Leandro with the support of a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Our Town grant for a project called San Leandro Lights. Transferring the project from the lab back to the street, we hope that the positive effect for individuals we observed in the lab will remain, and that responsive lighting will create a dynamic culture of attention.

Transforming culture through personal and career empowerment

2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Craig
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Social Transformation ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
Learning Programs ◽  
Intervention Impact ◽  
African Context ◽  
Unique Approach ◽  
And Performance

Purpose – The world of work is shifting from traditional career paths, to relentless change, leaner structures, evolving roles and a need to find meaning through the work the author do. A new skill-set is required to survive and thrive in the new economy. The purpose of this paper is to explore how learning programs focused on personal and career empowerment can build these skills, increase engagement, enhance performance and impact culture positively. Design/methodology/approach – The paper summarises these new skill-sets required and raises critical questions: how do we create an environment for self and career empowerment? How do we act as catalysts for cultural and social transformation? It then outlines an approach to discovering the answers based on experiences facilitating I am Talent workshops for personal and career empowerment. Key insights and suggestions for personal and career empowerment topics and tools are highlighted. Findings – The paper goes on to share the post-intervention impact results of a case study organisation, on culture, engagement, learning and performance. Practical implications – The paper covers some practical skill areas that can significantly improve work and life results, in a world that is dynamic, uncertain and continuously changing. Social implications – Millennials come with whole new set of expectations and preferences in the way they interact with work. In a South African context, this is compounded by our educational and skills crisis resulting in many work entrants not being sufficiently prepared for the new world of work. Originality/value – The learning programme is based on a book, I am Talent, by the author of this paper and is a unique approach to building personal and career empowerment.

scholarly journals Self-efficacy and Clinical Performance of Nurses Initiated and Management of Antiretroviral Therapy: Narrative Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-93
Author(s):  
Nozuko Glenrose Mangi ◽  
Daniel Ter Goon ◽  
Elizabeth Matsidiso Yako
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Clinical Performance ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
African Context ◽  
Professional Nurses ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Mentoring Support

Introduction: Self-efficacy plays a major role in the behaviour of a human being by how he/she approaches a goal, task or a challenge so that a desired level of performance is produced. The objective of this paper is to review and analyse literature on self-efficacy and clinical performance among professional nurses regarding quality of care in implementation of NIMART programme. Methodology: A literature review was conducted using online resources. Search engines included EBSCO, Google Scholar, Medline, PubMed, Psych info and BIOMED Central articles and journals published between 2007 and 2017. Relevant papers on self-efficacy and clinical performance regarding the implementation of NIMART programme in South Africa were analysed. Results: 278 papers were identified and 22 eligible papers were selected for analysis. Reviewed literature exhibited that self-efficacy is very crucial in the clinical performance of nurses in the implementation of NIMART. Self-efficacy helps to predict motivation and performance of individuals. Lack of mentoring, support and exposure to clinical practice had negative effect on nurse’s self-efficacy. Conclusion: Given the paucity of information on self-efficacy and clinical performance of NIMART in the South African context, future studies are warranted to gain more understanding of self-efficacy in the clinical performance of professional nurses.

Class and Performance in the Age of Global Capitalism

2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
PAUL MURPHY
Keyword(s):  
Identity Politics ◽  
Performance Studies ◽  
Gender And Sexuality ◽  
Global Capitalism ◽  
Arts And Humanities ◽  
Economic Stratification ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Raymond Williams ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Sociological Approaches

This article addresses the relative absence of class-based analysis in theatre and performance studies, and suggests the reconfiguration of class as performance rather than as it is traditionally conceived as an identity predicated solely on economic stratification. It engages with the occlusion of class by the ascendancy of identity politics based on race, gender and sexuality and its attendant theoretical counterparts in deconstruction and post-structuralism, which became axiomatic as they displaced earlier methodologies to become hegemonic in the arts and humanities. The article proceeds to an assessment of the development of sociological approaches to theatre, particularly the legacy of Raymond Williams and Pierre Bourdieu. The argument concludes with the application of an approach which reconfigures class as performance to the production of Declan Hughes's play Shiver of 2003, which dramatizes the consequences of the dot.com bubble of the late 1990s for ambitious members of the Irish middle class.

Playing With Chaos: Broadening Possibilities for How Music Therapist’s Consider Chaos in Group Work With Young People

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Oosthuizen ◽  
Katrina McFerran
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
South African ◽  
Group Work ◽  
Group Process ◽  
Therapy Group ◽  
Organizational Studies ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
The Arts ◽  
African Context

Abstract Many music therapists have alluded to challenges in their work with groups of young people. However, chaos, incorporating experiences of disintegration and destruction, is a construct often overlooked in music therapy literature. Some music therapy authors have related experiences of chaos to the struggles faced by young people referred for therapy. These experiences require management, modification, or resolution. The authors of this article synthesized broader understandings and approaches towards chaos described in literature from fields including music therapy group work, drama therapy, the arts, psychoanalysis, organizational studies, and philosophy. Chaos is positioned as an inherent and necessary aspect of music therapy groups with young people, situated within a mutually potentiating relationship with more ordered features of a group process. From this paradoxical perspective, therapeutic transformation is enabled through creativity that holds the tension between order and the destructiveness of chaos. When chaos is welcomed in music therapy groups and framed within appropriate boundaries, the authors argue that experiences of chaos can be harnessed to support engagement with the paradoxes of creativity and destructiveness. The provision of a space to play with chaos supports young people who are required to flourish within adverse, chaotic life circumstances. The significance of this position for a group of young people who have committed offences in the South African context is highlighted.

scholarly journals The iconic Hector Pieterson photo and the power of adaptations

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-88
Author(s):  
Ewald Mengel
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Freedom Of Expression ◽  
Collective Trauma ◽  
Repetition Compulsion ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
African Context ◽  
The Many ◽  
Personal Trauma

In South Africa, the iconic Hector Pieterson photo is the starting point for many artists to deal with their own personal trauma and the communal trauma of their nation. The iconicity of this photo has sparked many different adaptations in various fields of art. Considering that we are talking about a traumatized country, Freud’s concept of “repetition compulsion” seems to be one explanation for this phenomenon. However, art is only seldom a mere product of traumatization. Quayson’s concept of “symbolization compulsions” comes closer to explaining the phenomenon of repetition in the arts, because it leaves the artists more freedom of expression and does not suggest that art is the result of illness, while still implying ‘compulsion’ and ‘obsession’ in the act of creation. I want to suggest that ‘repetition’ in the arts in the South African context is not so much a sign of confinement and restriction, but that the many adaptations of the unique historical incident should rather be understood as attempts of ‘working through’ collective trauma, making sense of history, and contributing to the country’s healing.

Exploring recidivism in the South African context.

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belinda Bedell ◽  
Nicholas Challis ◽  
Charl Cilliers ◽  
Joy Cole ◽  
Wendy Corry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
South African Context ◽  
The South ◽  
African Context

A Performative Memoric Investigation of YoungGiftedandFat

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-62
Author(s):  
Sharrell D. Luckett ◽  
Audrey Edwards ◽  
Megan J. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Performance Studies ◽  
African American Females ◽  
Stage Manager ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Assistant Director ◽  
Power Negotiations ◽  
Research Collective

In 2013, Sharrell D. Luckett formed the Performance Studies & Arts Research Collective, which encourages members to explore their identities through the arts. Around this time, Audrey Edwards and Megan J. Stewart—both African American females and Collective members—became interested in autoethnography, and Luckett invited them to study closely with her. In this performative essay, Luckett, Edwards, and Stewart implicitly highlight various power negotiations enacted as professor/student, actress/stage manager, actress/assistant director, and mentor/mentee, while all working on their own autoethnographies, and while working collectively on Luckett's autoethnographic performance: YoungGiftedandFat.

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