“In Our Culture”—How Debates about Zimbabwe's Domestic Violence Law Became a “Culture Struggle”

Christiansen, Lene Bull

doi:10.1080/08038740903117190

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Saniso also took advantage of the divorce provisions of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1943, which added three legal grounds for divorce such as adultery, desertion and cruelty previously unavailable to Africans. 123 The father's reaction was consistent with traditional African patriarchal beliefs about marriage, based on a code of silence and patience overseen by elders. 124 African culture did not approve of daughters leaving marriage, as marriage was a familial rather than an individual institution and affected other members outside of the couple.…”

Section: Approaching the African Appeals Courtmentioning

confidence: 53%

African Women Agency gender Based Violence and the law in colonial Harare 1930s to 1950s

2023

sjch

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African historiography has largely silenced the domestic agency of African women. Studies have shown that urban spaces, particularly in colonial Zimbabwe in the 1940s and 1950s, became centres for high mixed-culture population growth. In addition to local rural urban migration, regional migration from Malawi and Zambia contributed to the population. Growth of manufacturing and the service industry stimulated by the Second World War opened opportunities for several economic activities, thus creating opportunities for women's empowerment. African women demonstrated agency in their multiple identities as economic players: as informal traders, formal employees, wives and part-time lovers. Due to housing restrictions allotted only to men and later married persons, some women entered into marriages of convenience so called Mapoto marriages; others became entrepreneurs in the local beer brewery, Skokiaan; while others engaged in informal trade and commercial sex work. Amidst all these shifts and turns and processes of urbanisation, gender-based violence found a breeding ground. As will be shown, women were not passive victims of gender-based violence. African women used the colonial justice system to challenge patriarchal male entitlement exposed in sexual and physical violence. Admittedly, that very legal system also identified them as legal minors who were represented by male figures. In spite of these limitations, women redefined their own identity and negotiated their survival in urban spaces. This paper uses largely court records to explore African women's agency in the face of structural constraints in the colonial urban spaces and within the households. The findings are significant in amplifying the voice of women, who have largely been considered as victims.

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Section: Approaching the African Appeals Courtmentioning

confidence: 53%

African Women Agency gender Based Violence and the law in colonial Harare 1930s to 1950s

2023

sjch

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“…In contemporary South Africa long histories that foreground 'race' as the dominant explanatory narrative are interwoven with these stereotypes of 'Western' feminism to produce powerful discourses around what counts as 'authentically' African. In these discourses it tends to be those behaviours which are more (rather than less) patriarchal that are legitimised and validated as authentic (see Christiansen, 2009). Emerging from this, and contributing to an explanation for the dearth of young men in my classroom, is a popular understanding of South African feminism as not simply unAfrican or anti-men, but as both, as anti-African men.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teaching Masculinities in a South African Classroom

Clowes¹

2015

(CriSTaL)

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In terms of gender equity the first two decades of South African democracy have seen substantial change-at least where legislation is concerned. In terms of daily lived realities however, such change seems to have had little or no impact. South African women continue to take primary responsibility for reproductive work and continue to dominate the ranks of the poor. Levels of gender based violence remain amongst the highest in the world. The last decade or so has seen scholars offer a range of overlapping and intersecting explanations for the slow pace of change, with some pointing to the lack of significant political commitment and the roles of 'custom' and 'tradition'. Others have suggested that change requires working more directly with boys and men. Despite these observations-and concomitant interventions-movement towards gender equity remains slow. In this paper I hope to contribute to the debate around resistance to change by drawing on student engagement with, and understandings of, an introduction to gender studies course between 2013 and 2014 at the University of the Western Cape. In the paper I reflect on ways in which teaching gender through a focus on men and masculinities offers insights into resistance to gender equity as well as possibilities for challenging such resistance.

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“…In contemporary South Africa, long histories foregrounding 'race' as the dominant explanatory narrative are interwoven with these stereotypes of 'Western' feminism to produce powerful discourses around what counts as 'authentically' African. Tending to validate and legitimise behaviours which are more (rather than less) patriarchal (see Christiansen, 2009) such beliefs underpin stereotypes of feminism as not simply anti-men, but also as unAfrican, as anti-black anti-heterosexual men.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transforming transformation in research and teaching in South African universities

Moodley

2021

Journal of Contemporary African Studies

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for contributing so generously to some of the publication costs.Wikus van Zyl and Emily Vosloo at AFRICAN SUN MeDIA have, furthermore, been superb in their support, encouragement and advice. It really does make a huge difference to have responsive and encouraging publishers.And finally, thanks so much, Crain Soudien, for agreeing to write the foreword in spite of your busy schedule. This work is built on an important and significant inquiry into Higher Education which you led a decade ago. A special note from RobI would like to give special thanks to the following: Ronelle. With your knowledge, critical and empathetic insights, social conscience, and down to earth sense of humour, working with you has not only been a very enriching intellectual experience but great fun too. Genay Dhelminie, Nwabisa Madikane and Marinice Walters-Kemp (the three administration officers in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology). Your friendly, thoughtful and helpful manner plays a key part in making the department open and accessible to everyone.The students I teach for teaching me. Thanks for the animated conversations, in the lecture theatre and in smaller groups, about gender, sexuality, race and class and for laughing at some of my jokes.The Critical Academic Practitioners (CRAP) postgraduate support for turning research into a social activity and sharing research insights, innovative methods, anxieties and pleasures in a friendly pedagogic space. Thanks to

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“In Our Culture”—How Debates about Zimbabwe's Domestic Violence Law Became a “Culture Struggle”

Cited by 6 publications

References 14 publications

African Women Agency gender Based Violence and the law in colonial Harare 1930s to 1950s

African Women Agency gender Based Violence and the law in colonial Harare 1930s to 1950s

Teaching Masculinities in a South African Classroom

Transforming transformation in research and teaching in South African universities

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