I'm really glad we spent time doing independent research on South Africa. I'm always down for reading contemporary news articles or feature stories on current events and issues.
After taking a look at the blog's of my peers, I decided to read the PRI story "Here's how South African students talk about race and gender" that Maria posted because I wanted to hear the thoughts of young people in the country we'll be visiting. I appreciated the simple format of the article, of expressing the thoughts of each of the students edited for conciseness. They brought up a lot of relatable issues, from cat-calling/objectification to gender norms (i.e. women and men expected to like certain things, work in certain fields, etc.) to rape. The students' thoughts were very developed making it clear they had discussed the issues of gender, race and class/privilege before - as many of them mentioned, it's a daily conversation in South Africa. I appreciate their openness and their acknowledgement of their personal identities.
The prevalence of rape in South Africa makes me angry... My mum brought it up on the phone with me the other day when we were discussing my upcoming trip. I know she wants me to be aware of my surroundings and think about protection, which is all good advice. But I have always been of the mindset that it shouldn't be my responsibility to be constantly watching my back, so I can get defensive when someone pushes the topic of self-defense on me. I suppose I'm too idealistic (naive?) and we don't live in an ideal world, so taking into the context where I am is the smartest idea.
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I also looked into this The Economist article suggested by Katie about coloured people in South Africa, which powerfully leads with "If Barack Obama lived in South Africa, he might be called a coloured. Under apartheid, the government decided to which of four racial categories a South African belonged - black, coloured, Indian/Asian or white - depending mostly on looks" to show how arbitrary that classification is. The term itself is confusing given the history of the word "colored" in the United States. The article confirms a point Austin brought up in class, that coloured people are now perceived as being at the "bottom of the ladder" in terms of economic development post-apartheid, because blacks get priority. But who makes the identification?
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Lastly, I can't stress enough the importance of the Power & Privilege Definitions document that Joshua provided. The resource is so helpful, because even though the meaning of some of the words may seem obvious, having all of the relevant terminology laid out like that clears away any doubt or confusion. For example, I knew what internalized oppression was before reviewing the document but I don't think I could have coherently verbalized it on my own.
I, too, found the article "Here's how South African students Talk about Race and Gender" an interesting read. I liked the simplistic form and hearing the perspective of the different students at Cape Town University. It is great hearing the thoughts of post-apartheid students who actually live in South Africa.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your apprehensive feelings about rape and being careful, watchful, and just flat out defensive of yourself and surroundings in a new country. But it is the best and safe way to go. From my semester abroad in Australia, I can tel you that the scared feeling goes away after you get to know the social atmosphere. But being skeptical and annoyed is part of the experience! Haha! We'll all be together, so you should just focus on enjoying your time there.
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