“Beware the Schoolboy:
When Media Narratives Change Children into Monsters”
Beware the Schoolboy
In this essay I examine the way that violence in South African schools has been reported and represented in national print media. Although I mention other incidents, I focus on the way in which Mfundo Ntshangase’s death is currently being represented in the media. In order to supplement information gained from newspapers such as The Times, Sowetan, Mail & Guardian, Die Beeld, The Star and The Pretoria News, I draw on online news sources such as News24 and Independent Online. I begin by briefly outlining the way in which similar incidents have been represented. In cases where I am able to identify bias in the reporting, I systematically compare these biases in order to discover if they are unique to a particular newspaper, or in fact a common trend uniting them. Drawing on insight gained from such comparisons I briefly consider how factors such as gender, race and culture are implicated in the way that this and other violent incidents have been reported. Finally I explore the way in which the various newspapers have chosen to present this subject to the audience in an effort to establish the possible implications of a particular kind of representation. I argue that although race remains a prominent issue in contemporary South African society, there are other elements such as class and culture that are beginning to eclipse it as primary motivator in the contest for representation. I do this drawing on the works of Allen & Seaton (1999); Brewer (1984); Colebrook (2000); De Fleur (); Farred (1992); Fordred (1997 ); Green (2003); Hirshberg (1993); Jay (1994); Johnson (1991); Kowalewski, McIlwee & Prunty (1995); Kozol (1995); Milkie (2002); Moulder (1997); Pedelty (1994) and Spitulnik (1993).
The Chicken or The Egg?
I became aware of the connection between the way violence in schools was being portrayed in the media and the possible negative impact on future youths after reading Johnson’s (1991) article. While Johnson (1991) chose to focus on the effect negative representation was having on black children, I did not want to limit my analysis to a particular race and by supplementing his argument with insight gained from others such as Colebrook (2000); Farred (1994); Hirsberg (1993); Milkie (2002); Moulder (1997) and Spitulnik (1993) I was able to form a more holistic view encompassing not only race, but culture and gender as well.
False Promises
During the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) launch of the World Report on Violence and Health that took place in 2002, the Health Minister Dr. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang made a speech in which she acknowledged that violence had an impact on people’s health and in which she claimed that the health department was taking active steps in an effort to neutralise this bane on society. She discussed a joined effort with the department of education to reduce the violence in schools and is quoted is saying: “This has two goals: The one is to reduce violence levels in schools themselves and the other is to assist school age children to cope with their problems without resorting to violence”. Even before this in October 2000, News24 reported on a speech given by President Thabo Mbeki in which he deplored violence in schools and encouraged the Ministry and the Department of Education to increase their efforts and “make schools safe and free from crime and violence”. In the years following, these articles the image of violent schoolboys has been such a constant feature in the representation of violence in schools that new negative stereotypes revolving around gender and culture are surpassing old ones based on race.
What a Violent Country
Violent behaviour in South Africa is not a new phenomenon, and judging by articles such as those mentioned above, neither is violence in schools. This means that the current ‘crisis in schools’ has been brewing in the background for at least seven years, periodically resurfacing when a new incident forces it yet again into the public eye. Representing the same type of cyclical behaviour described by Kowalewski, McIllwee & Prunty (1995). Every time the issue comes up, the same promises are made by public figures and for a while newspapers are filled with stories updating on their progress, but before long new issues emerge that push ‘violence in schools’ to the background till it slips out of mind yet again. At least until the next prominent incident once again brings the issue to public attention and the whole cycle begins again.
A year ago on 10th and 24th of October 2006 Mail & Guardian and The Star ran stories lamenting the high levels of violence in South African schools. The article published by Mail & Guardian on the 10th revolves around a specific incident in which a 18 year old pupil was stabbed and killed by a 14-year-old boy from the same school. The focus of this article is on how difficult it is to recruit new teachers to what is becoming a dangerous profession and the shortages that will eventually follow and the incident is used solely to support the Department of Education’s claim. This article proved to be a typical example of the way in which the Department of Education uses violent incidents is school as a ‘tool’ for increasing their own media exposure, manipulating a tragic event to their own advantage and cheapening a family’s loss for political mileage.
The Star article takes a sensationalised approach, reducing nine incidents to by-lines surrounded by colourful language. The headline “School violence spiralling out of control” gives an indication of what is to come, and the theatrical version of events that follows doesn’t disappoint. Together Cembi, Tau & Molosankwe weave a tale filled with axe attacks, stabbings, drug busts and a suicide. All encased in a selection of dramatic phrases in an apparent effort to lend extra flourish to these already grim events.
Neither of these two papers do much to create even the illusion of objectivity and the image of responsible journalism envisioned by Khaba Mkhize in 1994 (Fordred:1996 ) remains nothing more than a lofty ideal. In Fordred’s (1996) article Mkhize laments “lazy journalism” which he attributes to “state of emergency days when you were not allowed to write what you saw”. Very little seems to have changed in the 13 years that have passed since the incident in 1994 that these remarks are based on. Most of the reported comments originate from outside of the schools in the form of spokespersons for either the police, the government itself or various government affiliated organisations. Journalists seem as keen as ever to take the official statements at face value, without doing any significant amount of investigation on their own. On the rare occasions where input is sought from various parties involved, any contradictory statements are downplayed or simply dismissed altogether. The Times seems to be the exception to this general rule, but their “recent” devotion to contradicting the government tarnishes the contribution they make.
Objectivity Who?
Two trends in the way violence in schools is represented distinguish themselves early on. First there is a complete lack of objectivity, with a particular point of view being shamelessly promoted. And secondly is the fact that teenage boys are demonised in the public eye. Schoolboys are systematically being ostracised to the margins of society. Lopsided reporting in these stories reinforce this negative stereotype and the media is playing a pivotal role in the alienation of young boys. Stories like these transform those accused into nameless, faceless monsters and by making it clear that these anonymous monsters are “out there stalking the streets”. Neither the journalists nor their editors seem to consider the possible future effects of these representations, focussing on sensation and sales figures instead. Given the fact that this negative stereotype has been constantly promoted and reinforced by the media in recent years, one wonders why everyone seems so surprised when schoolboys conform to it.
It’ Not About What you Know, but Who You Know
The most recent string of articles surrounding the issue of violence in schools, only managed to garner significant public attention after newspapers reported on Mfundo Ntshangase’s murder. And even this only happened after it became clear that this wasn’t just any schoolboy. After it was revealed that Mfundo was a senior pupil in King Edward VII school in Johannesburg and the only son of the deputy director of the Gauteng education department, the amount of exposure awarded to the incident increased significantly. From 9 stories in 7 newspapers on the 17th of September up to 18 the very next day. In the papers that I chose, the incident was either directly reported or mentioned while reporting on similar cases in a whopping 114 articles. This is by far the highest number of articles dedicated to such an incident.
Almost as telling as the amount of attention lavished on the incident is the nature of the reporting surrounding it. The vast majority of articles reporting the incident go out of their way to portray both Mfundo and Thabo Linda in a positive light. Mfundo is depicted as a peaceful sports enthusiast with a bright future and is quoted as saying “the more you sweat for peace the less you bleed for war”. Thabo is cast in the roll of hero who stood alone against the attackers in a valiant effort to save a life long friend. While these boys were being canonised on the one hand their “attackers” were dehumanised and demonised in the media, with very little research to confirm Linda’s version of the story. The way that the Athlone boys accused of killing Mfundo got depicted in the media is a completely different story. Depicted in the press as “drunk”, “gatecrashers” suspected of “bloody murder” after a “vicious stabbing at a house party”. On the 20th The Star published an article “KES stabbing: pupils take sides” in which Serrao & Eliseev held impromptu interviews with random pupils at the Ghandi Square bus terminal. None of the pupils interviewed were involved with the incident in any way, yet their views were used to legitimise the demonised image created by the media of the Athlone boys in question. Using phrases such as “While pupils were mixing among themselves, the pupils from Athlone Boys’ High stood alone” and quotes that imply a violent school history to reinforce the negative image they seek to promote. “We stay away from the Athlone boys because they are known to be bullies” a pupil from Jeppe Boys’ High School is quoted as saying a sentiment that is echoed in the other statements. A girl from Greenside High School even claims to be scared because of a rumour that “Athlone Boys would be at their school” later in that week.
Missing Pieces
Despite my best efforts, I could find no articles in any of the newspapers used reporting a violent incident involving Athlone Boys’ high pupils prior to this incident. Raising the question why the news media was so eager to cast the five Athlone pupils involved in the incident in such a bad light. None of the boys aged between 16 and 18 years old have a previous history of being violent. Out of the seven boys who were eventually arrested only one remains in jail while the others have been released into their parent’s custody. And despite the hype the suspect who remains in jail isn’t even an Athlone pupil.
Two Sides To Every Story
An article penned by Isaac Mahlangu was published in The Times on the 23rd of September describes a situation so far removed from what has been reported to date that, if true reveals a shameless bias on the part of newspapers when it comes to reporting on public figures and members of their families. The headline “cops were warned party was heading for a disastrous end” manages to introduce new information into the equation, as well as being openly accusing. Despite the obvious way in which events have been sensationalised, the claims made by the neighbour and The Times seem to be confirmed by the police. Mahlangu describes a house party that got completely out of hand with an estimated 160 people attending and taxis standing in the street at 3am in the morning with their music blaring. The behaviour of the party goers included “drinking beer and ciders, smoking dagga and urinating on lawns.” When one compares this with earlier images of a small private KES birthday party where the unruly gatecrashers attacked and killed one of the KES pupils, there exists rather a wide gap between these two representations.
If You Can’t Find Something New To Say, Find Another Way to Say it
At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theory from a b-movie, I have to say that the South African press have gone from being the puppets of a racist white government to being the puppets of a corrupt black one. Throughout the article I have avoided bringing the issue of race into my analysis of the reporting, this is not because I am turning a blind eye to racism in South Africa or denying its existence in the world. My unwillingness should rather be understood as an attempt to focus on the issues impacting on the current subject that I see as the main culprits responsible for the current situation.
Drawing on the way which these incidents have been reported I argue two separate yet related conclusions to these facts. Firstly is that the South African news media has been systematically stereotyping schoolboys, grooming the image of a violent schoolboy in order to replace old stereotypes such as those reported by Farred (1992 ) that have fallen out of favour in recent years. Second is that the amount of control the South African government has over the press spell out a very clear warning about the credibility of the news we are receiving.
References
• Brewer, J.D. 1984 ‘Competing Understandings of Common Sense Understanding: A Brief Comment on ‘Common Sense Racism’ in The British Journal of Sociology, Vol.35, No.1. (Mar., 1984), pp. 66-74
• Colebrook, C. 2000 ‘Questioning Representation’ in Substance, Vol.29, No.2, Issue 92. (2000), pp. 47-67
• Fair, J.E & Astroff, R.J. 1991 ‘Constructing Race and Violence: US News Coverage and the Signifying Practices of Apartheid’ in Journal of Communication 41 (4): 58-74
• Farred, G. 1992 ‘Unity and Difference in Black South Africa’ in Social Text, No. 31/32, Third World and Post-Colonial Issues. (1992), pp. 217 – 234
• Green, L.F. 2003 ‘Raconteur, Jester, Listener, Survivor: Khaba Mkhize’s Strategies for conflict reducing journalism in KwaZulu Natal South Africa’ in Trickster’s way Volume 2, Issue 2, Article 4
• Ignatief, M. 1997 ‘Is Nothing Sacred? The Ethics of Television’ in The Warrior’s Honour: Ethnic War and the Modern Conscience New York: Metropolitan Books
• Jay, G.S. 1994 ‘Knowledge, Power, and the Struggle for Representation’ in College English, Vol. 56, No. 1. (Jan., 1994), pp. 9-29
• Kowalewski, D.; McIlwee, J.S. & Prunty, R. 1995 ‘Sexism, Racism and Establishmentism’ in Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 26, No. 2, (Nov., 1995), pp. 201-215
• Latham, K. 2000 ‘Nothing but the Truth: News Media, Power and Hegemony in South China’ in China Quarterly, No. 163. (Sep., 2000), pp.633-654
• Maingard, J. 1995 ‘Trends in South African Documentary Film and Video: Questions of Identity and Subjectivity’ in Journal of Southern African Studies, Vol. 21, No. 4, Special Issue on South African Literature: Paradigms Forming and Reinformed. (Dec., 1995), pp. 657-667
• Moulder, F.V. 1997 ‘Teaching about Race and Ethnicity: A Message of Despair or a Message of Hope?’ in Teaching Sociology, Vol.25, No.2. (Apr., 1997), pp. 120-127
• Redner, H. 1987 ‘Representation and the Crisis of Post-Modernism’ in PS, Vol.20 , No. 3. (Summer, 1987), pp.673-679
• Spitulnik, D. 1993 ‘Anthropology and Mass Media’ in Annual Review of Anthropology, Vol.22 (1993), pp. 293-315
Homepages of Newspapers Used
• Beeld: http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Home/
• Independent Online: http://www.iol.co.za/
• Mail & Guardian: http://www.mg.co.za/
• News24: http://www.news24.com/News24/Home/
• Pretoria News: http://www.pretorianews.co.za/
• Sowetan: http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Default.aspx?id=1277724
• The Star: http://www.thestar.co.za/
• The Times: http://www.thetimes.co.za/home.aspx
MAIL & GAURDIAN
• “Sixth teenager arrested in connection with stabbing” – Sapa
• “Fifth teenager arrested for schoolboy stabbing” – Sapa
• “Arrests made after schoolboy stabbings” – Sapa (18 September 2007)
• “Committee mulls roots of violence in SA schools” Sapa (19 September)
• “Arrests made after schoolboy stabbings” – Sapa ( 18 September)
• “Mother of stabbed pupil wants to see arrested youths” – Miranda Andrew (18 September)
• “Stabbed pupil’s mother a top education official” – Miranda Andrew (18 September)
• “Jo’burg schoolboy die in stabbing at party” – Thembelihle Tshabalala (17 September)
•
THE TIMES
• “Youth held in jail for KES stabbing” – Melody Brandon
• “Sixth teen arrested in KES murder probe” – Sapa http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=569747
• “So many questions” – Chris Barron (30 September) http://www.thetimes.co.za/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=575446
• “Youth held in jail for KES stabbing” – Melody Brandon (28 September)
• “Mother of murdered KES pupil inconsolable” Melody Brandon (27 September)
• “Cops were warned party was heading for disastrous end” Isaac Mahlangu (23 September) http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/News/Article.aspx?id=570472
• “No words to comfort grieving mom (video)” – Melody Brandon (19 September) http://www.thetimes.co.za/news/article.aspx?id=567452
• “This is not my child. This is not how we brought him up” – Melody Brandon (21 September) http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=569382
• “Tribute so slain classmate (video)” – http://multimedia.thetimes.co.za (21 September)
• “Pupil could have been saved” 26 September
• “Schoolboy stabbed as he bows to pray” – 23 September http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/News/Article.aspx?id=570477
• “Shocking rise in schoolboy stabbings” – 21 September http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=566512
• “Five schoolboys return home” – 20 September
• “Five teens face the music” – 20 September http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=568438
• “Parents too lenient” – 19 September http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=568101
• “Fifth teen arrested for stabbing”—19 September http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=567998
• “Cops tell mom: We’ve bust four schoolboys” – 19 September http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=567543
• “Schoolboys arrested for stabbing” – 18 September
• “Stabbed schoolboy out of hospital” – 18 September
• “Shocking rise in schoolboy stabbings” – 18 September http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=566512
• “Without him my life is not worth living. How can I live?” – 17 September http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=566523
• “Schoolboy stabbing suspects in court” – Sapa – 10 October – http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=583818
• “Police investigate pupil’s stabbing” – Sapa – 17 September http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=nw20070918172444283C107082
• “Schoolboy dies in knife fight” – Sapa - http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=nw20070918131924998C720505
• “Violence in schools must be stamped out now” – editor – 2 October http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=576721
• “When kids are thugs parents have failed” – Editor – 18 September http://www.thetimes.co.za/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=575446
THE STAR
• “No bail for KES murder suspect” – Bhavna Sookha http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=vn20070928032444806C745611
• “Suspect no 7 nabbed in KES case” – Alex Eliseev http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=vn20070926042918449C256239
• “Drama as pupils are released from custody” – Botho Moosankwe and Angelique Serrao (21 September) http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=vn20070921044421848C816116
• “KES stabbing: Pupils takes sides” – Angelique Serrarao Alex Eliseev (20 September) http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=vn20070920050200252C373275
• “One piece in the puzzle is now in place” – Alex Eliseev, Botho Molosankwe and Angelique Serrao (19 September) http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=vn20070919061831767C353868
• “I just went for him” – Gill Gifford and Alex Eliseev
• “Mother of murdered schoolboy vents her anguish at accused” – Botho Molosankwe (11 October)
• “Kes pupil’s mother’s outburst” – Botho Molosankwe (11 October)
• “Why didn’t you kill me?” – Botho Molosankwe (11 October) http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=vn20071011043414260C191012
• “No bail for suspect in KES murder case” – Sapa (28 September) http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=vn20070928032444806C745611
• “Parents to blame, not schools” – Sapa ( 28 September)
• “No bail for Suspect in KES murder case” – Bhavna Sookha (28 September)
• “No bail for KES murder suspect” – Bhavna Sookha ( 28 September)
• “Suspect no 7 nabbed in KES case” – Alex Eliseev (26 September)
• “Hiding their heads in shame” – Botho Molosankwe & Angelique Serrao (21 September)
• “We have already lost one life too many, mourners told” – Alex Eliseev (21 September)
• “Drama as pupils go to court” – Botho Molosankwe & Angelique Serrao (21 Septemer)
• “KES stabbings: Court drama” – Botho Molosankwe & Angelique Serrao (21 September)
• “More arrests in KES stabbing” – Staff reporters (19 September)
• “Principal lashes out at violence” – Alex Eliseev, Botho Molosankwe & Angelique Serrao ( 19 September)
• “KES murder breakthrough” – Alex Eliseev, Botho Molosankwe & Angelique Serrao ( 19 September)
• “Stabbed KES pupil returns to school without his friend” – Alex Eliseev, Gill Gifford & Angelique Serrao
• “Knife cut short teen’s dreams” – Alex Eliseev (18 September)
• “Why was KES boy stabbed?” – Gill Giffort, Alex Eliseev & Angelique Serrao (18 September)
• “Hunt for KEC boy’s killer” – Gill Giffort, Alex Eliseev & Angelique Serrao (18 September)
• “KES boy murdered at house party” – Gill Giffort & Alex Eliseev (17 September)
• “KES boy tells of killing” – Gill Giffort & Alex Eliseev (17 September)
DIE BEELD
• “Drama by hof in 6 se moordverhoor” – 10 October http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2199891,00.html
• “7e verdagte vas na seun se mesdood” – 26 September http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2190418,00.html
• “6e arrestasie na mesmoord” – 21 September http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2188376,00.html
• “Seuns rou, maar beloof om moord nie te wreek” – 20 September http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2187803,00.html
• “Mfundo se familie is bly saak is nou op hofrol” – 20 September http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2187789,00.html
• “Nog ‘n 18 jarige vas na moord” – 19 September http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2186806,00.html
• “4 leerlinge vas na mesmoord” – 18 September http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2186120,00.html
• “Drank gee nie reg om te moor nie” – 17 September http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2185495,00.html
• “Skoolseun sterf na ‘ongenooide gas’ hom op party steek” – 16 September http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2184945,00.html
THE SOWETAN
• “Why did you kill my only son - KES mom” – 11 September http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=584241
• “School not to blame for deaths” – 28 September http://www.sowetan.co.za/Feedback/Article.aspx?id=574009
• “Motshenkga insulted blacks” – 27 September http://www.sowetan.co.za/Feedback/Article.aspx?id=572936
• “KES murder – 7th suspect held” – 26 September http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=572040
• “Schools unite to bid farewell” – 21 September http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=569353
• “Spare the rod, spoil the nation” – 12 October http://www.sowetan.co.za/Feedback/Article.aspx?id=585101
• “Key suspect in Ntshangase case denied bail” – 28 September http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=574183
• “Tongue lashing for parents of ‘killer’ boys” – 21 September http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=569355
• “Guidance is a two way street” – 20 September http://www.sowetan.co.za/Feedback/Article.aspx?id=568333
• “Suspects in schoolboy killing in court today” – 20 September http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=568418
• “Five teenagers held over schoolboy’s killing” – 19 September http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=567535
• “Slain schoolboy’s family wants answers” – 18 September http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=567122
• “Mom’s biggest loss” – 18 September http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=566553
• “Schoolboy dies in knife fight” – 17 September http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=566028
THE PRETORIA NEWS
• “Mom confronts boys up for killing schoolboy” – Botho Molosankwe (10 October)
• Mother breaks down at sight of Mfundo’s murder suspects” Botho Molosankwe (10 October)
• “Stabbing opens schools’ festering wounds’ Botho Molosankwe and Angelique Serrao, Alex Eliseev, Shaun smillie (21 September)
• “Four boys held after deadly brawl at party” – Sapa (19 September)
• “Injured pupil tells of fatal brawl” – Gill Gifford, Alex Eliseev & Angelique Serrao (18 September)
• “Pupil at upmarket Jo’burg school is stabbed” – Gill Gifford
INDEPENDENT ONLINE
• “Schoolboy stabbing: case postponed” – Sapa
• “Readers: SA children becoming more violent” – Luntu Manani http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=iol1190468316140L530
• “KES stabbing: Sixth teen arrested” – Sapa 21 September - http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=nw20070921083247929C378174
• “Teenagers released after stabbing incident” – Sapa 21 September - http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=nw20070920223602743C598971
• “New Twist in KES stabbing” – Angelique Serrao, Alex Eliseev, Shaun Smillie and Botho Molosankwe (19 September) http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=nw20070919131934558C521807
• “Fifth teenager arrested for stabbing” – Sapa (19 September) http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=nw20070919131750110C611827
• “Stabbed pupil’s mom an education official – Sapa (18 September) http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=nw20070918172444283C107082
• “Schoolboys arrested after party stabbing” – Sapa (18 September) http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=nw20070918131924998C720505
• “I just went for him” – Gill Gifford & Alex Eliseev (17 September)
• Violent youth http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3045&art_id=nw20070925184119926C236309
NEWS24
• “Cops probe KES pupil’s stabbing” – 17 September
• “7th arrest over KES murder” – 25 September
• “6th arrested for KES stabbing” – 21 September
• “KES matric pupil killed by gate-crashers” – 16 September
• “KES boys won’t seek revenge” – 20 September
• “KES: 5 schoolboys released” – 20 September
• “KES Stabbing: Fifth teen held” – 19 September
• “KES mom ‘wants to know why’ “ – 18 September
• “Gatecrashers ‘were drunk’” – 18 September
• “Teen hurt trying to save friend” – 17 September
• “Rid schools of violence – Mbeki” – 26 October 2000 – Sapa http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/0,,2-7_932060,00.html
• Link to pdf file for national crime rates in SA
http://www.saps.gov.za/statistics/reports/crimestats/2006/_pdf/provinces/rsa_total.pdf
TIMES REPORTING ON POLITICAL FIGURES
• The Times – Reporting Minister of Health: Special report
http://www.thetimes.co.za/SpecialReports/manto/Default.aspx?id=250236
• The Times – Selebi & the cop mafia
http://www.thetimes.co.za/SpecialReports/CrimeInSA/Article.aspx?id=312467
THE STAR DEFENDING THE EDUCATION MINISTER’S STATEMENTS
• The Star – “Parents need to rethink how they raise their sons” - 27th September
http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=4053090
Monday 22 October 2007
Ambiguous photographs
Breaking news: Brilliant German scientist invents time machine - Returns with tales of savagery
In this essay I examine Askew’s (2002) Statement “Technology, so it was believed could capture the truth”. I argue that this statement is false and that even though photographs are able to realistically convey the physical ‘facts’ of a specific time and location, that these are facts without context and thus without meaning. To prove this point I rely on a practical example as well as drawing on the works of Askew (2002); Barrett (1986); Berger (1982); Jacknis (1988); Maingaurd (1995); Papstein (1990); Weineberger (1995).
And He has the Pictures to Prove it
“Proof of savage Zulu warrior attacking youth
while tribe watches passively in the background”
I use an approach similar to that of Berger (1982) in order to illustrate my argument that technology is not in fact able to capture the truth. The caption over this photograph is obviously a fake and even if it were theoretically possible to travel in time, I doubt that the “German scientist” would indeed be able to get close enough to take a picture such as this without causing considerable comment. Although this is a rather extreme example of a photograph being used out of context to proof a rather dubious point it is by no means the only available one. Photographs do contain certain facts, but they are facts without context and this lack of context is exactly where their ambiguous nature lies.
The actual caption to this photograph reads “Zulu Dancing at Isibindi Zulu Lodge“. I wasn’t there when the picture was taken and I do not know any of the people in the photograph, nor do I know the person who took the picture. I assume that the people depicted in this picture are indeed Zulu’s doing a dance, because the photograph seems to support this fact. Experience takes me a step further, that this dance was performed purely for the entertainment of the tourists’ entertainment pandering to the Westerners’ interpretation of what it means to be a Zulu. I have no way of proving that all the individuals involved in this dance are even really
Time machine hoax shocks scientific community
Technology cannot capture the truth. Even when both the photographer and the interpreter have the purest intentions their interpretation of the events before and after the photograph remains subjective. This innate ambiguity of photographs does not completely discredit them as a rich source of information, but is merely a reminder that caution should be taken both when interpreting photographs and when forming an opinion based on someone else’s interpretation.
References
• Jacknis, I. 1988 ‘Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson in Bali: Their Use of Photography and Film’ in Cultural Anthropology, Volume 3, No. 2, (May, 1988), pp. 160-177
• Barrett, T 1986 ‘A Theoretical Construct for Interpreting Photographs’ in Studies in Art Education, Vol.27, No.2 (Winter 1986), pp. 52-60
• Papstein, R. 1990 ‘Creating and Using Photographs as Historical Evidence’ in History in Africa, Vol.17. (1990), pp. 247-265
• Weinberger, E. 1992 ‘The Camera People’ in Transition, No.55. (1992), pp.24-54
• Maingard, J. 1995 ‘Trends in South African Documentary Film and Video: Questions of Identity and Subjectivity’ in Journal of Southern African Studies, Vol. 21, No. 4, Special Issue on South African Literature: Paradigms Forming and Reinformed. (Dec., 1995), pp. 657-667
• Berger, J. 1982 ‘The Ambiguity of the Photograph’ in Berger, J. & Mohr, J. (eds) Another Way of Telling New York: Pantheon Books
• Image of Zulu dancers at http://www.bookinafrica.com/isibindi-zulu-lodge
Original caption “Isibindi Zulu Lodge - Zulu Dancing at Isibindi Zulu Lodge “ on Book in Africa’s website advertising Isibindi Zulu lodge
In this essay I examine Askew’s (2002) Statement “Technology, so it was believed could capture the truth”. I argue that this statement is false and that even though photographs are able to realistically convey the physical ‘facts’ of a specific time and location, that these are facts without context and thus without meaning. To prove this point I rely on a practical example as well as drawing on the works of Askew (2002); Barrett (1986); Berger (1982); Jacknis (1988); Maingaurd (1995); Papstein (1990); Weineberger (1995).
And He has the Pictures to Prove it
“Proof of savage Zulu warrior attacking youth
while tribe watches passively in the background”
I use an approach similar to that of Berger (1982) in order to illustrate my argument that technology is not in fact able to capture the truth. The caption over this photograph is obviously a fake and even if it were theoretically possible to travel in time, I doubt that the “German scientist” would indeed be able to get close enough to take a picture such as this without causing considerable comment. Although this is a rather extreme example of a photograph being used out of context to proof a rather dubious point it is by no means the only available one. Photographs do contain certain facts, but they are facts without context and this lack of context is exactly where their ambiguous nature lies.
The actual caption to this photograph reads “Zulu Dancing at Isibindi Zulu Lodge“. I wasn’t there when the picture was taken and I do not know any of the people in the photograph, nor do I know the person who took the picture. I assume that the people depicted in this picture are indeed Zulu’s doing a dance, because the photograph seems to support this fact. Experience takes me a step further, that this dance was performed purely for the entertainment of the tourists’ entertainment pandering to the Westerners’ interpretation of what it means to be a Zulu. I have no way of proving that all the individuals involved in this dance are even really
Time machine hoax shocks scientific community
Technology cannot capture the truth. Even when both the photographer and the interpreter have the purest intentions their interpretation of the events before and after the photograph remains subjective. This innate ambiguity of photographs does not completely discredit them as a rich source of information, but is merely a reminder that caution should be taken both when interpreting photographs and when forming an opinion based on someone else’s interpretation.
References
• Jacknis, I. 1988 ‘Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson in Bali: Their Use of Photography and Film’ in Cultural Anthropology, Volume 3, No. 2, (May, 1988), pp. 160-177
• Barrett, T 1986 ‘A Theoretical Construct for Interpreting Photographs’ in Studies in Art Education, Vol.27, No.2 (Winter 1986), pp. 52-60
• Papstein, R. 1990 ‘Creating and Using Photographs as Historical Evidence’ in History in Africa, Vol.17. (1990), pp. 247-265
• Weinberger, E. 1992 ‘The Camera People’ in Transition, No.55. (1992), pp.24-54
• Maingard, J. 1995 ‘Trends in South African Documentary Film and Video: Questions of Identity and Subjectivity’ in Journal of Southern African Studies, Vol. 21, No. 4, Special Issue on South African Literature: Paradigms Forming and Reinformed. (Dec., 1995), pp. 657-667
• Berger, J. 1982 ‘The Ambiguity of the Photograph’ in Berger, J. & Mohr, J. (eds) Another Way of Telling New York: Pantheon Books
• Image of Zulu dancers at http://www.bookinafrica.com/isibindi-zulu-lodge
Original caption “Isibindi Zulu Lodge - Zulu Dancing at Isibindi Zulu Lodge “ on Book in Africa’s website advertising Isibindi Zulu lodge
Monday 21 May 2007
Talk is Cheap But Lies are Expensive
‘Talk is Cheap,
But Lies are Expensive’
This study begins with a comparative analysis of the difference in perspectives between young adult males currently studying at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University, mainly with regards to sexuality and HIV/AIDS. I chose two groups from the student population. The first, consisting of young adult males who grew up in cities. And second, young adult males who grew up in ‘platteland’ communities. By doing this I test the common assumption, that those who grew up in cities, would be better informed than their ‘platteland’ counterparts. With ‘platteland’ meaning farming communities, and with participants either residing in a small town or on a farm. These two groups provided the ‘urban’ vs. ‘rural’ concept that is used throughout the paper. In addition to this I examine the presumed connection between, the amount of sexual knowledge and sexual practice. In an effort to establish if their level of sexual knowledge was the main determining factor when it came to participants’ choices regarding sexual conduct. Instead, I found that the dominant narrative that emerged, was religion. From this, I analyse the influence of the religious hegemonic discourse on participants’ social organisation and behaviour. I do this drawing on the works of: Ashcraft (2006); Bird (1996); Campbell (1997); Dowsett (2003); Farmer (1995); Kiesling (2001, Volume 11, Number 1); Kiesling (2001, Volume 11, Number2); Klein (2000); Levine & Ross (2002); Watson (n.d)
Background
The North-West University is the product of a merger of the University of the North-West with that of the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education and consists of three campuses namely: Mafikeng, Potchefstroom and Vaal Triangle. This study was conducted on the Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University. This campus was formerly known as the Potchefstroom University for Higher Education, and most of the participants refer to it as the PUK (Our recent history). Despite the fact that things have changed in recent years, there still exists a strong sense of tradition. This sense of tradition and the focus on religious values consistently draws students who claim to subscribe to these same religious beliefs (Why the NWU-PUK Campus?). But even when the majority of students describe themselves as religious, that does not mean that they will always see eye to eye when it comes to sexuality.
Literature Review
Ashcraft’s (2006) paper on teen sexuality shows how the dominant discourses of sexuality not only shape social identities, but also serve to reinforce social inequalities. Another common element is the way in which participants revise dominant discourses, challenging some while incorporating others, actively participating in the creation of their own social order.
Bird’s (1996) paper concerning multiple masculinities and the maintenance of hegemonic masculinity is interesting when viewed in relation to the current study. The way Bird describes how individuals who differ from the masculine norm are pushed aside and condemned bears a strong resemblance to the reactions displayed by the members of the abstinence collective. Another far less entertaining parallel comes in the form of the subordination of femininity, and viewing women as sexual objects. Even though members of the present study started out very careful about what they said, by the middle of the questionnaire they were freely making comments about young women, who were perceived as promiscuous. Using a variety of descriptions and social slang, all condemning them for actions such as ‘being too friendly’ and ‘not wearing the right clothes’.
Campbell’s (1997) study, highlights the psychosocial context of HIV transmission. In addition to this, he looks at how an individual’s social identity goes on to shape their behaviour. This influence not only dictates their general social behaviour, but influences their sexual behaviour as well. And although the participants in Campbell’s (1997) study, had masculinity playing the leading role in their social narrative instead of religion, as is the case in the present study, being made aware of how the dominant narrative permeates and influences social contexts, should lend valuable insight into my analysis of the present context.
Dowsett’s (2003) paper on sexuality and gender shows what a valuable tool gender becomes when one aims to understand the HIV pandemic. Social structure dominates the pandemic and since gender makes up such an important building block of this structure its importance becomes self-evident. Dowsett (2003) pays a lot of attention on how social structures that seem ‘natural’ are actually created by the individuals living in them.
Farmer (1995) on the other hand, makes use of the influence of the “cultural component” when he discusses the spread of HIV/AIDS. This element is useful for the present study since analysis of common cultural discourse should enable me to detect and later analyse those elements that could influence participants’ susceptibility to HIV/AIDS transmission.
In Kiesling’s (2001, Vol. 11( 1)) paper, he discusses the use of linguistic devices as a method of creating and maintaining social hierarchy. Even though Kiesling’s fieldwork was conducted far away from this university, the methods young males employ to create and cement their social hierarchy in America is employed with equal amounts of zeal by participants in the present study.
In Kiesling’s (2002, Vol. 11(2)) paper on the shifting constructions of masculinity he describes a number of mechanisms used by men to claim their place in the social hierarchy. He mentions four specific mechanisms, and three of those are employed by participants in the current study. These are: direct indexing, the use of speech acts that presuppose and indirect indexing through speech activities associated with particular powerful groups. The last is particularly clear in Joep’s interview, but variations are present in most of the discussions.
The work of Klein (2000), regarding narratives provides important insight into not only the existence of narratives in everyday communication, but also into how they become tools in the social organization. By highlighting the meaning and possible interpretations of the term, Klein makes one aware of, narratives present in everyday life, paving the way for improved interpretation.
Levine & Ross’ (2002) paper on the perceptions of young adults at UCT bears the most resemblance to the current study, but although it may be temping to lean heavily on this seemingly parallel data, it should be avoided since there is a very real risk of coming to the ‘expected’ conclusions in the present study, regardless of whether or not the data support such conclusions. However, by being aware of this possibility of contamination, I will endeavour to avoid it. There are certain trends that feature in both studies, such as the fact that few participants had been for AIDS tests or had discussed HIV/AIDS with their partner. Another common trend comes in the fact that participants make use of stereotypes when describing risk and high risk groups in order to distance themselves from these groups and in effect the implications of HIV/AIDS. Even more interesting than the similarities, are the differences between the findings of the two studies. The participants of the current study were far more positive towards the idea of condom use than those reported in Levine & Ross’(2002) study. Since the studies were done about five years apart, this could possibly indicate at least the partial success of AIDS awareness campaigns especially relating to condom use. What is troubling though is that participants are still not keen on the idea of going for an AIDS test, or discussing the subject of AIDS with their partner. Only one of the participants in the present study had been for an AIDS test and that same participant was the only one who had in fact discussed AIDS with a partner.
In Lund et al.’s (2006) paper on hierarchy negotiation makes the bold claim that “getting ahead” is the fundamental driving force behind motivation. They set about naming various tactics of hierarchy negotiation and when one draws the parallels between the actions of the participants between that study and the present one, one specific technique takes centre stage. Lund et al. (2006) call this “Deception/ Manipulation” and this refers to the way that participants will often engage in deceptive self promotion as well as taking time out to derogate competitors. This tactic was usually employed by members of the ‘rural’ group. Another less popular technique displayed was “Social Display/ Networking” where participants make a point of displaying positive characteristics and make a show of helping others. This last tecnique was consistently displayed by Andries Papenvoes, who represented the only abstaining member of the ‘urban’ group.
Watson’s (n.d.) description of a sociolinguistic model intended for narrative analysis supplies a formal and functional framework from which one can identify a narrative style and study it. It alerts the reader to recurring patterns in narrative as well as showing how to break it up into its component parts. Watson also stresses the importance of narrative in the study of culture.
Methodology
For this study I have chosen one on one interviews with participants. These interviews were conducted privately, using a questionnaire with a number of set questions as a guideline. The questions were designed in such a way that I could get a good oversight not only of the participants’ social views, but also into the depth of their knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS. To supplement the information I had gained from these questions, I also let each participant write a simple test, to better gauge their HIV/AIDS knowledge. The test consisted of twenty statements, to which participants needed to supply simple ‘true’ or ‘false’ answers. The results gained from these tests proved to be valuable when it came to analysing the information gained from the interview questions.
The reasoning behind adding a test to the interviews, lies in the comparative nature of the study. I used the test as an added safety device when I compared the depth of participant’s knowledge, looking to find if the test results confirmed the information I had already gained from the interviews.
Who are the participants, and how were they selected
For this study, I have chosen six young adult males currently studying on the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University. Due to the comparative nature of the study, I have elected to divide them into two groups, each consisting of three members. With one group representing the ‘city’ or ‘urban’ and the other representing the ‘platteland’ or ‘rural’ aspect. All the participants are Afrikaans males and their ages range between 21 years and 25 years old.
Types of data and Sources
In an effort to be as thorough as possible, I elected to tape the interviews and then set about transcribing them. This is why majority of the raw data for this study comes from a combination of transcripts of interviews and notes taken during interviews with participants, along with the participants’ test results. To supplement the information gained in this way, as well as providing background for analysis I relied on a selection of journals and online resources. These include: Journal of Linguistic Anthropology; Anthropology and Education Quarterly; Reproductive Health Matters; Journal of Research in Personality; Gender and Society; and American Anthropologist.
Procedures for data analysis
To facilitate analysis of the data gained from the sources mentioned above, I broke the procedure down into smaller parts. I started out by looking for possible similarities between the current study and previous studies. Along with this I was also on the look out for possible differences that could be of interest. I then isolated any the trends present in the interviews of participants in the same group, as those present in all interviews. From this I was able not only to compare the two groups, but also test the new facts against the previous assumptions.
Gaining Perspective
At the beginning of each interview, participants were asked to supply their definitions to certain basic terms used in this study. This was done as a safety measure, to ensure that the definitions of terms used by participants and that of the reader were the same. When one looks at the variations between participants’ answers, the reasoning behind this soon becomes clear.
Janus: “ Seksuele aktiwiteite… Karfoefel. Mutual gratification.”, (Sexual activities. Fooling around. Mutual gratification);Jannie Gietergat: “… verder as vry, is te ver.”, (When you go further than french kissing, then you are going too far); Joep: “ … waar jy begin vatterig raak en daai goed… as jy begin vat waar jy nie moet vat nie en dan begin dit nou bietjie in daai lyn, in daai rigting gaan.”,(When you start getting touchy feely. Once you start touching places where you’re not supposed to and things like that, then you are starting to go in that direction).
‘Urban’ vs. ‘Rural’
Difference in perspectives, regarding HIV/AIDS transmission, between young men who grew up in cities as opposed to those who grew up on the ‘platteland’
This basic contrast between the views of the ‘urban’ and ‘rural’ participants regarding the subject of sexual intercourse, serves as the starting point for a discourse, with two contrasting views, that seem impossible to reconcile.
The majority of the ‘urban’ males approved of pre-marital sex as long as it was in a relationship. As can bee seen by Joe F’s response: “Ek het glad nie ‘n pyn daarmee nie… As jy omgee vir ‘n persoon, dank an jy seks hê met daai persoon.”, when he was asked about his view on pre-marital sex(I have no problem with it… If you care about a person, then you can have sex with that person). This point was shared by Janus, another member of the ‘urban’ group, who represents the only other sexually active male.
On the other hand, all the ‘rural’ males were strongly apposed to the idea of pre-marital sex. As can be seen from the response of Ballonetjie: ”Mm, verkeerd. Soek jy ‘n rede? Um, dis vir my ook half, half ‘n geloof saak. Want jy weet, seks is bedoel vir die huwelik.” (It’s wrong. Do you want a reason? It’s a question of faith for me. ‘Cos you know, sex was made for marriage). This extended explanation came without prompting, and represents the first emergence of the religious narrative in the text (based on the works of: Campbell:1997; Lund:2006; Kiesling:2000;Klein:2000 ). This religious connection between ‘sexual intercourse’ and marriage, dominates all ‘rural’ participants’ answers relating to the subject. This negative view of pre-marital sex was shared by the remaining ‘urban’ participant Andries Papenvoes, but the extended explanation is noticeably absent (Lund: 2006; Kiesling: 2001).
The ‘urban’ participants, were significantly more tolerant of those members of the community who did not comply with their own personal ideal (Kiesling:2001; Lund:2006). Even Andries Papenvoes, who has elected to abstain from ‘sexual activity’, expressed concern rather than contempt for the choices made by the sexually active members of society. “…ons persentasies van mense wat VIGS het is nogal redelik hoog. En van mense wat al seksueel aktief is. Mens kan sien daar is soos, ‘n nodigheid vir kommer. Ja, ja daar is ‘n nodigheid vir kommer.”,(The percentages (On the Potchefstroom Campus) of people who have AIDS are quite high. That and those of people who are already sexually active. You can see there is reason to worry. Yes, there is reason to be worried).Displaying the “Social Display” tactic described in Lund (2006)
While the ‘rural’ participants made a point of actively and vocally condemning those who were in fact ‘sexually active’ at every possible opportunity (Ashcraft:2006; Lund:2006; Kiesling:2001). Take for example Ballonetjie’s reaction while discussing making condoms available as a possible method of AIDS prevention on campus: “ Ek gaan dit nou terugvat na die hele losbandige mense toe. Want hoekom vat jy daai ding? Om hom te gebruik.”, (I’m going to take that back to promiscuous people. Because, why would you take that thing (a condom)?To go and use it). For him, offering students a method of contraception was a way of condoning and even maybe encouraging students to be sexually active. This is a belief that was shared by Jannie Gietergat: “ Man, hulle moet vir steek seker nie kondome uitdeel nie, want dis ‘common’. Nee, heerder man, dis stupid. Jy hits mos nou net ‘n mens aan.”, (They really shouldn’t hand out condoms, because it’s cheap. It’s stupid. You just encourages people). Similar can be seen in Ashcraft (2006) and Dowsett (2003).
A worrying trend among the ‘rural’ participants is a high level of naivety, that comes across in some of the casual remarks they made regarding HIV/AIDS, it’s transmission and sexual activity in general they all deny knowing anyone who is HIV+ and even go as far as denying that anyone they’re friends with is currently sexually active. Even though they made all the right noises when answering the obvious questions, they often lacked a deeper understanding of the broad principles that they were reciting from memory (Levine & Ross: 2002). None of them honestly believe that HIV/AIDS or even any form of sexual activity will ever have an impact on them, and they trust that if it does, they will be able to tell ‘what kind of girl she is’ (Ashcraft:2006; Bird: 1996; Dowsett: 2003). Jannie Gietergat was often the most frank of the three “Die girls wat ek sal like is eerder van die plaas af… so daar hoef jy nie te worry nie” (The girls I like come from farms, and you don’t have to worry about them), but even Ballonetjie “Jy kan dit sommer sien… dit wat jy is straal buitentoe” (You can see it… the type of person that you are shows on the outside) and Joep “ ‘n Mens kan as jy… vir iemand kyk, dan kan jy sien” (You can see when you look at someone), let some comments slip during the conversation that indicates just how deep this problem really goes.
Another thorny subject between the participants is the subject of HIV/AIDS education. Neither the ‘urban’ nor the ‘rural’ group adopted specific position regarding HIV/AIDS education. Participants seemed conflicted, not with other views this time, but mostly with themselves. All participants were pro-HIV/AIDS education in theory, but when it came to when and where or any other detail their train of thought jumped the rails as illustrated by Ballonetjie’s contradictions. Interestingly, whether or not the participant considered himself informed was not the major deciding factor when it came to thinking about HIV/AIDS education in a university context. With some, like Ballonetjie, Janus and Jannie Gietergat feeling it’s too late, even though they admitted that they weren’t that well informed. Another thing that all participants could agree on was the need for parental involvement in HIV/AIDS education, this comes despite the fact that most their parents had not discussed the subject with them (Ashcraft: 2006).
Inconsistency Between ‘Ideal’ and ‘Action’
Contradictions between what participants claimed to think when they answered certain questions such as: “Do you think you can tell if someone has AIDS?”; “Do you consider yourself to be at risk?” and “Who does AIDS concern?”, and what they actually do were rampant. As can be seen in the following responses: Joe F “Ja. Dit is ‘n kwessie wat van toepassing is op enige persoon” (Yes, it is an issue that affects everybody) followed by “Ek meen, meeste van die mense in die hoë risiko groepe, is gewoonlik jou laer opgevoede klas mense.” (The most people in high risk groups are usually ‘low class’ people) and Joep:” Ja, wel almal is”(Yes, well everybody is) and “Spanners… daai klas”( Common people… that class of people) (Bird: 1996; Klein: 2000; Levine & Ross: 2002) . This was as problem for both the ‘urban’ and ‘rural’ participants. But was expressed particularly clearly in, the difference between ‘sexually active’ participants’ claims and their actions (Barrett:2000). The assumed connection between the level of knowledge and participants’ sexual practices, only made it as far as the articulation of their ‘ideal’ beliefs (Barrett: 2000; Levine & Ross: 2002).
Even though the ‘sexually active’ participants truly attempted to translate their knowledge on the subject of HIV/AIDS into social practice, human fallibility, combined with incomplete assimilation, meant that their actions sometimes contradicted their claims. Joe F: “Ek hou nie daarvan om saam met iemand te slaap wat ek nie ken nie, maar dit het al gebeur… Alhoewel ek dit nie wil doen nie” (I don’t like sleeping with someone that I don’t know, but it has happened in the past… Even though I don’t want to do it).
It is important to take the social context at work during interviews into account (Bird: 1996; Barrett: 2000; Campbell: 1997; Kiesling: 2001; Klein: 2000). By doing this, the claims made by participants while engaging in their current social performance, takes on a new and intricately constructed meaning (drawing on Bird: 1996; Barrett: 2000; Campbell: 1997; Kiesling: 2001 (1&2); Lund: 2006, ) Participants’ claims have more to do with the role that they have elected to play in this social interaction, than their actual beliefs (Kiesling: 2001; Klein: 2000; Watson: nd.).
This conflict between ‘ideal’ and ‘actual’ belief becomes clear when one compares the differences between the claims and participants’ discourse (Barrett:2000).
All participants openly condemned ‘one-night-stands’, and yet half of them were guilty of this very transgression. Those who were guilty, felt a very real sense of remorse and were quietly ashamed of their inability to live up to the social ‘ideal’. Some even went as far as expressing regret Ballonetjie: “ Een keer ja… ek is meer half in die ding ingepraat in my eerste jaar”(It happened once yes… I was convinced by someone during my first year).
Religion as Collective Hegemonic Narrative
Religion emerges as a dominant narrative in the hegemonic discourse of these participants (Bird: 1996; Campbell: 1997; Kiesling: 2001; Klein: 2000; Lund: 2006). All participants claim to be religious and gave themselves scores between 6 and 8 out of ten, when asked to rate how religious they were. By doing this they automatically align themselves with the hegemonic majority (Bird: 1996; Kiesling: 2001). However, this membership comes at a price. Those who abstain are constantly condemning and judging the “immoral” people, who are sexually active (Lund:2006; ).
These vocal reprimands serve as a constant confirmation of their membership to the hegemonic collective, as well as repeatedly excluding those who fail to conform to the guidelines set out by the group (Bird: 1996; Kiesling: 2001; Lund: 2006). This leaves sexually active participants with a bit of a conundrum. They must choose between three equally unattractive options (Bird: 1996; Campbell: 1997; Kiesling: 2001):
1. They must alter their current behaviour and conform to the prescribed ideal of abstinence.
2. They must conceal their sexual activity from other members of the group.
3. They must separate themselves from the religious hegemony and relinquish their current position in the social hierarchy.
In this study, all sexually active participants chose the second option. The first comes from a group that consists entirely of sexually active young men, who have all privately chosen the same option. This ‘shared secret’ affords him and other members of that particular group a certain amount of protection from the hegemonic ‘gatekeepers’, who judge harshly and condemn without mercy (Kiesling: 2001).
Unfortunately the second sexually active participant finds himself in a more precarious position (Bird: 1996; Kiesling: 2001). He is not part of such a ‘shared secret’ group, but rather finds himself in the middle of a very hostile abstinence collective. The constant harsh criticisms of members of a similar group, makes his a truly unenviable position to be in. He risks being ostracized if his sexual practice becomes public, as well as potentially leaving himself without a support system, if his actions were to lead him in to trouble. It seems highly unlikely that the members of this particular abstinence collective would be willing to offer support if his transgressions were to become public (Bird: 1996;Lund: 2006).
One participant, Andries Papenvoes, represents an interesting deviation from the abstinence collective norm. Although he in fact, ‘plays by the rules’ of the religious hegemonic collective by abstaining, he remains almost uncharacteristically sympathetic to the sexually active deviants, offering support and advice instead of just blanket condemnation. Make no mistake, he laments the fact that young people today are sexually active and seem to be almost predominantly reckless when it comes to their sexual behaviour, but still he chooses to at least attempt to respect the choices made by others. This is even though he does not understand them, and certainly does not agree with them. This behaviour conforms to the “Social Display” principle and to a lesser extend the “Manipulation” principle described by Lund (2006)
Conclusion
In response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in South Africa, I set about unraveling the mystery. Looking not only for reasons, but also possible solutions. In an effort to understand the reasoning that male university students employ when making sexual choices, I compared the views and knowledge of participants from ‘urban’ and ‘rural’ settings. I found that the religious narrative permeates deeply into all forms of social construction in the lives of those who participated (Klein: 2000; Watson: nd.). This dominant narrative both protects and endangers those that subscribe to it as was seen in Campell’s (1997) study. Since my study only involved six participants, it cannot be taken as absolute proof of the entire student population of the North-West University’s views regarding HIV/AIDS. Yet some of the trends that are present, are so consistent that they merit a closer look.
There has been some measure of success on the part of AIDS campaigns. Students are far more willing to use condoms than was indicated by a previous study based in Cape Town (Levine & Ross: 2002). It is still not nearly enough. Students remain unwilling to go for AIDS tests and have failed to grasp the seriousness of the HIV/AIDS threat. Policy makers can no longer afford to deny the impact of HIV/AIDS on the student population. Denial is putting students at risk, and will continue to do so until an effort is made to raise awareness in a way that touches these students (Ashcraft: 2006; Campbell: 1997). If the current discourse of denial persists, there is a risk that students could simply continue along their present path, without ever truly believing that they are at risk.
References
• Ashcraft, C. (2006) ‘Ready or Not… Teen Sexuality and the Troubling Discourse of Readiness’ in Anthropology and Education Quarterly, Volume 37, Number 4, pp. 328-346
• Author Unknown (2005) ‘Ethical Guidelines and Principles of Conduct for Anthropologists’ in Anthropology Southern Africa, 28(3&4), pp.142-143
• Barrett, S.R. 2002 ‘Unleashing the Anthropologist: A Historical Overview’ and ‘Method’ in Anthropology: A Student’s Guide to Theory and Method University of Toronto Press inc. pg 3-46; 69-83
• Bird, S.R (1996) ‘Welcome to the Men’s Club: Homosociality and the Maintenance of Hegemonic Masculinity’ in Gender and Society, Volume 10, Number 2, pp. 120-132
• Campbell, C. (1997) ‘Migrancy, Masculine Identities and AIDS: The Psychosocial Context of HIV transmission on the South African Gold Mines’ in Social Sciences Med., Volume 45, Number 2, pp. 273-281
• Dowsett, G. W. (2003) ‘Some Considerations on Sexuality and Gender in the Context of AIDS’ in Reproductive Health Matters, Volume 11, Number 22, pp.21-29
• Farmer, P. 1995 ‘Culture, Poverty, and the Dynamics of AIDS Transmission in Rural Haiti’ in T Brummelhuis, and G Herdt (ed.) Culture and Sexual Risk: Anthropological Perspectives on AIDS Amsterdam: Gordon and Breach Publishers
• Kiesling, S. (2001) ‘Stances in Whiteness and Hegemony in Fraternity Men’s Discourse’ in Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, Volume 11, Number 1, pp. 101-115
• Kiesling, S.F. (2001) “Now I Gotta Whatch What I Say’: Shifting Constructions of Masculinity in Discourse” in Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, Volume 11, Number 2, pp. 250-273
• Klein, H.E.M (2000) ‘Narrative’ in Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, Volume 9, Number 1-2, pp. 167-169
• Levine, S. & Ross, F. 2002 ‘Perceptions of and Attitudes to HIV/AIDS among young adults at UCT’ in Social Dynamics 28(1): 89-108
• Lund, O.C.H., et al. (2006) ‘Tactics of Hierarchy Negotiation’ in Journal of Research in Personality, Volume 41, pp. 25-44
• North West University (2007) ‘Our recent history’ in About Us, url:http://www.nwu.ac.za/opencms/export/NWU/html/nwu/about-us-rhistory.html accessed: 20 April 2007
• North West University, Potchefstroom Campus (2007) ‘Why the NWU-PUK Campus?’ in Prospective Students, url:http://www.puk.ac.za/vstudente/index_e.html accessed: 20 April 2007
• Prinsloo, A.F. (2005) Spreekwoorde en waar hulle vandaan kom, Pharos Woordeboeke, NB Uitgewers, Kaapstad
• Watson, K.A. (n.d) ‘A Rheutorical and Sociolinguistic Model for the Analysis of Narritive’ in American Anthropologist, Volume , pp. 243-
• Wikipedia, Baseball Metaphor in a sexual context, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/baseball_Metaphor , accessed: 25 April 2007
Appendix A:
Ethical Considerations
Anthropologists often have to interact very closely with the members of the community that have chosen to participate in the study and our first responsibility should always be towards them. Participants should never be reduced to a “means to an end”, but should always be handled with care and respect. This has certain implications for any given study and even as a student anthropologist, I am bound by these conventions. In an effort to guarantee my participants’ anonymity, I gave them the opportunity to choose their own pseudonyms and conducted all my interviews privately. Because this study might one day form part of a larger one, the participants were required to sign release forms, but there is no way that I am aware of to connect these forms with the transcripts of their interviews. I have also tried to make sure that my participants all received fair representation, and have strived to keep my comments as neutral as possible. During interviews I gave my participants the choice about whether or not to answer certain questions and Jannie Gietergat was one of the few who used this right by refusing to explain “koekkie hollander broekkies” on tape.
(Based on: Ethical Guidelines and Principles of Conduct for Anthropologists)
Appendix B:
Translation and Explanations of Certain Phrases
• Kat uit die boom uit kyk – “’n Afwagtende houding inneem. Versigtig wees. See which way the cat jumps.” – Prinsloo (2005)
• Meng jou met die semels en die varke vreet jou op – “As jy met slegte geselskap omgaan, word jy ook sleg. Touch pitch and be defiled.”—Prinsloo (2005)
• Uit die bloute uit – Out of the blue. Something that happens that is unexpected.
• In ‘n negatiewe lig sien – “ Swak voorstel. Present something in a bad light.”—Prinsloo (2005)
• As ‘n yster warm genoeg raak, dan buig hy – If someone comes under enough pressure, they will change their mind. In context this means that getting excited in a sexual context could influence someone’s choices.
• Hy het nog nie die pyp gerook nie – He has not had sex yet.
• Selfbeeld in ‘n bottel – Self esteem from a bottle, similar to the idea of “Dutch courage”.
• Oop en bloot – Out in the open. Someone said something without disguising it in any way.
• Nie ‘n halwe kans nie – There is no way. Not even half a chance.
• Hits ‘n mens aan – Encourage someone to do something
• ‘n Pad saam met iemand gestap het – Based on the belief that when you have spent a lot of time with someone and gone through certain things with them, you should know them reasonably well.
But Lies are Expensive’
This study begins with a comparative analysis of the difference in perspectives between young adult males currently studying at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University, mainly with regards to sexuality and HIV/AIDS. I chose two groups from the student population. The first, consisting of young adult males who grew up in cities. And second, young adult males who grew up in ‘platteland’ communities. By doing this I test the common assumption, that those who grew up in cities, would be better informed than their ‘platteland’ counterparts. With ‘platteland’ meaning farming communities, and with participants either residing in a small town or on a farm. These two groups provided the ‘urban’ vs. ‘rural’ concept that is used throughout the paper. In addition to this I examine the presumed connection between, the amount of sexual knowledge and sexual practice. In an effort to establish if their level of sexual knowledge was the main determining factor when it came to participants’ choices regarding sexual conduct. Instead, I found that the dominant narrative that emerged, was religion. From this, I analyse the influence of the religious hegemonic discourse on participants’ social organisation and behaviour. I do this drawing on the works of: Ashcraft (2006); Bird (1996); Campbell (1997); Dowsett (2003); Farmer (1995); Kiesling (2001, Volume 11, Number 1); Kiesling (2001, Volume 11, Number2); Klein (2000); Levine & Ross (2002); Watson (n.d)
Background
The North-West University is the product of a merger of the University of the North-West with that of the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education and consists of three campuses namely: Mafikeng, Potchefstroom and Vaal Triangle. This study was conducted on the Potchefstroom campus of the North-West University. This campus was formerly known as the Potchefstroom University for Higher Education, and most of the participants refer to it as the PUK (Our recent history). Despite the fact that things have changed in recent years, there still exists a strong sense of tradition. This sense of tradition and the focus on religious values consistently draws students who claim to subscribe to these same religious beliefs (Why the NWU-PUK Campus?). But even when the majority of students describe themselves as religious, that does not mean that they will always see eye to eye when it comes to sexuality.
Literature Review
Ashcraft’s (2006) paper on teen sexuality shows how the dominant discourses of sexuality not only shape social identities, but also serve to reinforce social inequalities. Another common element is the way in which participants revise dominant discourses, challenging some while incorporating others, actively participating in the creation of their own social order.
Bird’s (1996) paper concerning multiple masculinities and the maintenance of hegemonic masculinity is interesting when viewed in relation to the current study. The way Bird describes how individuals who differ from the masculine norm are pushed aside and condemned bears a strong resemblance to the reactions displayed by the members of the abstinence collective. Another far less entertaining parallel comes in the form of the subordination of femininity, and viewing women as sexual objects. Even though members of the present study started out very careful about what they said, by the middle of the questionnaire they were freely making comments about young women, who were perceived as promiscuous. Using a variety of descriptions and social slang, all condemning them for actions such as ‘being too friendly’ and ‘not wearing the right clothes’.
Campbell’s (1997) study, highlights the psychosocial context of HIV transmission. In addition to this, he looks at how an individual’s social identity goes on to shape their behaviour. This influence not only dictates their general social behaviour, but influences their sexual behaviour as well. And although the participants in Campbell’s (1997) study, had masculinity playing the leading role in their social narrative instead of religion, as is the case in the present study, being made aware of how the dominant narrative permeates and influences social contexts, should lend valuable insight into my analysis of the present context.
Dowsett’s (2003) paper on sexuality and gender shows what a valuable tool gender becomes when one aims to understand the HIV pandemic. Social structure dominates the pandemic and since gender makes up such an important building block of this structure its importance becomes self-evident. Dowsett (2003) pays a lot of attention on how social structures that seem ‘natural’ are actually created by the individuals living in them.
Farmer (1995) on the other hand, makes use of the influence of the “cultural component” when he discusses the spread of HIV/AIDS. This element is useful for the present study since analysis of common cultural discourse should enable me to detect and later analyse those elements that could influence participants’ susceptibility to HIV/AIDS transmission.
In Kiesling’s (2001, Vol. 11( 1)) paper, he discusses the use of linguistic devices as a method of creating and maintaining social hierarchy. Even though Kiesling’s fieldwork was conducted far away from this university, the methods young males employ to create and cement their social hierarchy in America is employed with equal amounts of zeal by participants in the present study.
In Kiesling’s (2002, Vol. 11(2)) paper on the shifting constructions of masculinity he describes a number of mechanisms used by men to claim their place in the social hierarchy. He mentions four specific mechanisms, and three of those are employed by participants in the current study. These are: direct indexing, the use of speech acts that presuppose and indirect indexing through speech activities associated with particular powerful groups. The last is particularly clear in Joep’s interview, but variations are present in most of the discussions.
The work of Klein (2000), regarding narratives provides important insight into not only the existence of narratives in everyday communication, but also into how they become tools in the social organization. By highlighting the meaning and possible interpretations of the term, Klein makes one aware of, narratives present in everyday life, paving the way for improved interpretation.
Levine & Ross’ (2002) paper on the perceptions of young adults at UCT bears the most resemblance to the current study, but although it may be temping to lean heavily on this seemingly parallel data, it should be avoided since there is a very real risk of coming to the ‘expected’ conclusions in the present study, regardless of whether or not the data support such conclusions. However, by being aware of this possibility of contamination, I will endeavour to avoid it. There are certain trends that feature in both studies, such as the fact that few participants had been for AIDS tests or had discussed HIV/AIDS with their partner. Another common trend comes in the fact that participants make use of stereotypes when describing risk and high risk groups in order to distance themselves from these groups and in effect the implications of HIV/AIDS. Even more interesting than the similarities, are the differences between the findings of the two studies. The participants of the current study were far more positive towards the idea of condom use than those reported in Levine & Ross’(2002) study. Since the studies were done about five years apart, this could possibly indicate at least the partial success of AIDS awareness campaigns especially relating to condom use. What is troubling though is that participants are still not keen on the idea of going for an AIDS test, or discussing the subject of AIDS with their partner. Only one of the participants in the present study had been for an AIDS test and that same participant was the only one who had in fact discussed AIDS with a partner.
In Lund et al.’s (2006) paper on hierarchy negotiation makes the bold claim that “getting ahead” is the fundamental driving force behind motivation. They set about naming various tactics of hierarchy negotiation and when one draws the parallels between the actions of the participants between that study and the present one, one specific technique takes centre stage. Lund et al. (2006) call this “Deception/ Manipulation” and this refers to the way that participants will often engage in deceptive self promotion as well as taking time out to derogate competitors. This tactic was usually employed by members of the ‘rural’ group. Another less popular technique displayed was “Social Display/ Networking” where participants make a point of displaying positive characteristics and make a show of helping others. This last tecnique was consistently displayed by Andries Papenvoes, who represented the only abstaining member of the ‘urban’ group.
Watson’s (n.d.) description of a sociolinguistic model intended for narrative analysis supplies a formal and functional framework from which one can identify a narrative style and study it. It alerts the reader to recurring patterns in narrative as well as showing how to break it up into its component parts. Watson also stresses the importance of narrative in the study of culture.
Methodology
For this study I have chosen one on one interviews with participants. These interviews were conducted privately, using a questionnaire with a number of set questions as a guideline. The questions were designed in such a way that I could get a good oversight not only of the participants’ social views, but also into the depth of their knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS. To supplement the information I had gained from these questions, I also let each participant write a simple test, to better gauge their HIV/AIDS knowledge. The test consisted of twenty statements, to which participants needed to supply simple ‘true’ or ‘false’ answers. The results gained from these tests proved to be valuable when it came to analysing the information gained from the interview questions.
The reasoning behind adding a test to the interviews, lies in the comparative nature of the study. I used the test as an added safety device when I compared the depth of participant’s knowledge, looking to find if the test results confirmed the information I had already gained from the interviews.
Who are the participants, and how were they selected
For this study, I have chosen six young adult males currently studying on the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University. Due to the comparative nature of the study, I have elected to divide them into two groups, each consisting of three members. With one group representing the ‘city’ or ‘urban’ and the other representing the ‘platteland’ or ‘rural’ aspect. All the participants are Afrikaans males and their ages range between 21 years and 25 years old.
Types of data and Sources
In an effort to be as thorough as possible, I elected to tape the interviews and then set about transcribing them. This is why majority of the raw data for this study comes from a combination of transcripts of interviews and notes taken during interviews with participants, along with the participants’ test results. To supplement the information gained in this way, as well as providing background for analysis I relied on a selection of journals and online resources. These include: Journal of Linguistic Anthropology; Anthropology and Education Quarterly; Reproductive Health Matters; Journal of Research in Personality; Gender and Society; and American Anthropologist.
Procedures for data analysis
To facilitate analysis of the data gained from the sources mentioned above, I broke the procedure down into smaller parts. I started out by looking for possible similarities between the current study and previous studies. Along with this I was also on the look out for possible differences that could be of interest. I then isolated any the trends present in the interviews of participants in the same group, as those present in all interviews. From this I was able not only to compare the two groups, but also test the new facts against the previous assumptions.
Gaining Perspective
At the beginning of each interview, participants were asked to supply their definitions to certain basic terms used in this study. This was done as a safety measure, to ensure that the definitions of terms used by participants and that of the reader were the same. When one looks at the variations between participants’ answers, the reasoning behind this soon becomes clear.
Janus: “ Seksuele aktiwiteite… Karfoefel. Mutual gratification.”, (Sexual activities. Fooling around. Mutual gratification);Jannie Gietergat: “… verder as vry, is te ver.”, (When you go further than french kissing, then you are going too far); Joep: “ … waar jy begin vatterig raak en daai goed… as jy begin vat waar jy nie moet vat nie en dan begin dit nou bietjie in daai lyn, in daai rigting gaan.”,(When you start getting touchy feely. Once you start touching places where you’re not supposed to and things like that, then you are starting to go in that direction).
‘Urban’ vs. ‘Rural’
Difference in perspectives, regarding HIV/AIDS transmission, between young men who grew up in cities as opposed to those who grew up on the ‘platteland’
This basic contrast between the views of the ‘urban’ and ‘rural’ participants regarding the subject of sexual intercourse, serves as the starting point for a discourse, with two contrasting views, that seem impossible to reconcile.
The majority of the ‘urban’ males approved of pre-marital sex as long as it was in a relationship. As can bee seen by Joe F’s response: “Ek het glad nie ‘n pyn daarmee nie… As jy omgee vir ‘n persoon, dank an jy seks hê met daai persoon.”, when he was asked about his view on pre-marital sex(I have no problem with it… If you care about a person, then you can have sex with that person). This point was shared by Janus, another member of the ‘urban’ group, who represents the only other sexually active male.
On the other hand, all the ‘rural’ males were strongly apposed to the idea of pre-marital sex. As can be seen from the response of Ballonetjie: ”Mm, verkeerd. Soek jy ‘n rede? Um, dis vir my ook half, half ‘n geloof saak. Want jy weet, seks is bedoel vir die huwelik.” (It’s wrong. Do you want a reason? It’s a question of faith for me. ‘Cos you know, sex was made for marriage). This extended explanation came without prompting, and represents the first emergence of the religious narrative in the text (based on the works of: Campbell:1997; Lund:2006; Kiesling:2000;Klein:2000 ). This religious connection between ‘sexual intercourse’ and marriage, dominates all ‘rural’ participants’ answers relating to the subject. This negative view of pre-marital sex was shared by the remaining ‘urban’ participant Andries Papenvoes, but the extended explanation is noticeably absent (Lund: 2006; Kiesling: 2001).
The ‘urban’ participants, were significantly more tolerant of those members of the community who did not comply with their own personal ideal (Kiesling:2001; Lund:2006). Even Andries Papenvoes, who has elected to abstain from ‘sexual activity’, expressed concern rather than contempt for the choices made by the sexually active members of society. “…ons persentasies van mense wat VIGS het is nogal redelik hoog. En van mense wat al seksueel aktief is. Mens kan sien daar is soos, ‘n nodigheid vir kommer. Ja, ja daar is ‘n nodigheid vir kommer.”,(The percentages (On the Potchefstroom Campus) of people who have AIDS are quite high. That and those of people who are already sexually active. You can see there is reason to worry. Yes, there is reason to be worried).Displaying the “Social Display” tactic described in Lund (2006)
While the ‘rural’ participants made a point of actively and vocally condemning those who were in fact ‘sexually active’ at every possible opportunity (Ashcraft:2006; Lund:2006; Kiesling:2001). Take for example Ballonetjie’s reaction while discussing making condoms available as a possible method of AIDS prevention on campus: “ Ek gaan dit nou terugvat na die hele losbandige mense toe. Want hoekom vat jy daai ding? Om hom te gebruik.”, (I’m going to take that back to promiscuous people. Because, why would you take that thing (a condom)?To go and use it). For him, offering students a method of contraception was a way of condoning and even maybe encouraging students to be sexually active. This is a belief that was shared by Jannie Gietergat: “ Man, hulle moet vir steek seker nie kondome uitdeel nie, want dis ‘common’. Nee, heerder man, dis stupid. Jy hits mos nou net ‘n mens aan.”, (They really shouldn’t hand out condoms, because it’s cheap. It’s stupid. You just encourages people). Similar can be seen in Ashcraft (2006) and Dowsett (2003).
A worrying trend among the ‘rural’ participants is a high level of naivety, that comes across in some of the casual remarks they made regarding HIV/AIDS, it’s transmission and sexual activity in general they all deny knowing anyone who is HIV+ and even go as far as denying that anyone they’re friends with is currently sexually active. Even though they made all the right noises when answering the obvious questions, they often lacked a deeper understanding of the broad principles that they were reciting from memory (Levine & Ross: 2002). None of them honestly believe that HIV/AIDS or even any form of sexual activity will ever have an impact on them, and they trust that if it does, they will be able to tell ‘what kind of girl she is’ (Ashcraft:2006; Bird: 1996; Dowsett: 2003). Jannie Gietergat was often the most frank of the three “Die girls wat ek sal like is eerder van die plaas af… so daar hoef jy nie te worry nie” (The girls I like come from farms, and you don’t have to worry about them), but even Ballonetjie “Jy kan dit sommer sien… dit wat jy is straal buitentoe” (You can see it… the type of person that you are shows on the outside) and Joep “ ‘n Mens kan as jy… vir iemand kyk, dan kan jy sien” (You can see when you look at someone), let some comments slip during the conversation that indicates just how deep this problem really goes.
Another thorny subject between the participants is the subject of HIV/AIDS education. Neither the ‘urban’ nor the ‘rural’ group adopted specific position regarding HIV/AIDS education. Participants seemed conflicted, not with other views this time, but mostly with themselves. All participants were pro-HIV/AIDS education in theory, but when it came to when and where or any other detail their train of thought jumped the rails as illustrated by Ballonetjie’s contradictions. Interestingly, whether or not the participant considered himself informed was not the major deciding factor when it came to thinking about HIV/AIDS education in a university context. With some, like Ballonetjie, Janus and Jannie Gietergat feeling it’s too late, even though they admitted that they weren’t that well informed. Another thing that all participants could agree on was the need for parental involvement in HIV/AIDS education, this comes despite the fact that most their parents had not discussed the subject with them (Ashcraft: 2006).
Inconsistency Between ‘Ideal’ and ‘Action’
Contradictions between what participants claimed to think when they answered certain questions such as: “Do you think you can tell if someone has AIDS?”; “Do you consider yourself to be at risk?” and “Who does AIDS concern?”, and what they actually do were rampant. As can be seen in the following responses: Joe F “Ja. Dit is ‘n kwessie wat van toepassing is op enige persoon” (Yes, it is an issue that affects everybody) followed by “Ek meen, meeste van die mense in die hoë risiko groepe, is gewoonlik jou laer opgevoede klas mense.” (The most people in high risk groups are usually ‘low class’ people) and Joep:” Ja, wel almal is”(Yes, well everybody is) and “Spanners… daai klas”( Common people… that class of people) (Bird: 1996; Klein: 2000; Levine & Ross: 2002) . This was as problem for both the ‘urban’ and ‘rural’ participants. But was expressed particularly clearly in, the difference between ‘sexually active’ participants’ claims and their actions (Barrett:2000). The assumed connection between the level of knowledge and participants’ sexual practices, only made it as far as the articulation of their ‘ideal’ beliefs (Barrett: 2000; Levine & Ross: 2002).
Even though the ‘sexually active’ participants truly attempted to translate their knowledge on the subject of HIV/AIDS into social practice, human fallibility, combined with incomplete assimilation, meant that their actions sometimes contradicted their claims. Joe F: “Ek hou nie daarvan om saam met iemand te slaap wat ek nie ken nie, maar dit het al gebeur… Alhoewel ek dit nie wil doen nie” (I don’t like sleeping with someone that I don’t know, but it has happened in the past… Even though I don’t want to do it).
It is important to take the social context at work during interviews into account (Bird: 1996; Barrett: 2000; Campbell: 1997; Kiesling: 2001; Klein: 2000). By doing this, the claims made by participants while engaging in their current social performance, takes on a new and intricately constructed meaning (drawing on Bird: 1996; Barrett: 2000; Campbell: 1997; Kiesling: 2001 (1&2); Lund: 2006, ) Participants’ claims have more to do with the role that they have elected to play in this social interaction, than their actual beliefs (Kiesling: 2001; Klein: 2000; Watson: nd.).
This conflict between ‘ideal’ and ‘actual’ belief becomes clear when one compares the differences between the claims and participants’ discourse (Barrett:2000).
All participants openly condemned ‘one-night-stands’, and yet half of them were guilty of this very transgression. Those who were guilty, felt a very real sense of remorse and were quietly ashamed of their inability to live up to the social ‘ideal’. Some even went as far as expressing regret Ballonetjie: “ Een keer ja… ek is meer half in die ding ingepraat in my eerste jaar”(It happened once yes… I was convinced by someone during my first year).
Religion as Collective Hegemonic Narrative
Religion emerges as a dominant narrative in the hegemonic discourse of these participants (Bird: 1996; Campbell: 1997; Kiesling: 2001; Klein: 2000; Lund: 2006). All participants claim to be religious and gave themselves scores between 6 and 8 out of ten, when asked to rate how religious they were. By doing this they automatically align themselves with the hegemonic majority (Bird: 1996; Kiesling: 2001). However, this membership comes at a price. Those who abstain are constantly condemning and judging the “immoral” people, who are sexually active (Lund:2006; ).
These vocal reprimands serve as a constant confirmation of their membership to the hegemonic collective, as well as repeatedly excluding those who fail to conform to the guidelines set out by the group (Bird: 1996; Kiesling: 2001; Lund: 2006). This leaves sexually active participants with a bit of a conundrum. They must choose between three equally unattractive options (Bird: 1996; Campbell: 1997; Kiesling: 2001):
1. They must alter their current behaviour and conform to the prescribed ideal of abstinence.
2. They must conceal their sexual activity from other members of the group.
3. They must separate themselves from the religious hegemony and relinquish their current position in the social hierarchy.
In this study, all sexually active participants chose the second option. The first comes from a group that consists entirely of sexually active young men, who have all privately chosen the same option. This ‘shared secret’ affords him and other members of that particular group a certain amount of protection from the hegemonic ‘gatekeepers’, who judge harshly and condemn without mercy (Kiesling: 2001).
Unfortunately the second sexually active participant finds himself in a more precarious position (Bird: 1996; Kiesling: 2001). He is not part of such a ‘shared secret’ group, but rather finds himself in the middle of a very hostile abstinence collective. The constant harsh criticisms of members of a similar group, makes his a truly unenviable position to be in. He risks being ostracized if his sexual practice becomes public, as well as potentially leaving himself without a support system, if his actions were to lead him in to trouble. It seems highly unlikely that the members of this particular abstinence collective would be willing to offer support if his transgressions were to become public (Bird: 1996;Lund: 2006).
One participant, Andries Papenvoes, represents an interesting deviation from the abstinence collective norm. Although he in fact, ‘plays by the rules’ of the religious hegemonic collective by abstaining, he remains almost uncharacteristically sympathetic to the sexually active deviants, offering support and advice instead of just blanket condemnation. Make no mistake, he laments the fact that young people today are sexually active and seem to be almost predominantly reckless when it comes to their sexual behaviour, but still he chooses to at least attempt to respect the choices made by others. This is even though he does not understand them, and certainly does not agree with them. This behaviour conforms to the “Social Display” principle and to a lesser extend the “Manipulation” principle described by Lund (2006)
Conclusion
In response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in South Africa, I set about unraveling the mystery. Looking not only for reasons, but also possible solutions. In an effort to understand the reasoning that male university students employ when making sexual choices, I compared the views and knowledge of participants from ‘urban’ and ‘rural’ settings. I found that the religious narrative permeates deeply into all forms of social construction in the lives of those who participated (Klein: 2000; Watson: nd.). This dominant narrative both protects and endangers those that subscribe to it as was seen in Campell’s (1997) study. Since my study only involved six participants, it cannot be taken as absolute proof of the entire student population of the North-West University’s views regarding HIV/AIDS. Yet some of the trends that are present, are so consistent that they merit a closer look.
There has been some measure of success on the part of AIDS campaigns. Students are far more willing to use condoms than was indicated by a previous study based in Cape Town (Levine & Ross: 2002). It is still not nearly enough. Students remain unwilling to go for AIDS tests and have failed to grasp the seriousness of the HIV/AIDS threat. Policy makers can no longer afford to deny the impact of HIV/AIDS on the student population. Denial is putting students at risk, and will continue to do so until an effort is made to raise awareness in a way that touches these students (Ashcraft: 2006; Campbell: 1997). If the current discourse of denial persists, there is a risk that students could simply continue along their present path, without ever truly believing that they are at risk.
References
• Ashcraft, C. (2006) ‘Ready or Not… Teen Sexuality and the Troubling Discourse of Readiness’ in Anthropology and Education Quarterly, Volume 37, Number 4, pp. 328-346
• Author Unknown (2005) ‘Ethical Guidelines and Principles of Conduct for Anthropologists’ in Anthropology Southern Africa, 28(3&4), pp.142-143
• Barrett, S.R. 2002 ‘Unleashing the Anthropologist: A Historical Overview’ and ‘Method’ in Anthropology: A Student’s Guide to Theory and Method University of Toronto Press inc. pg 3-46; 69-83
• Bird, S.R (1996) ‘Welcome to the Men’s Club: Homosociality and the Maintenance of Hegemonic Masculinity’ in Gender and Society, Volume 10, Number 2, pp. 120-132
• Campbell, C. (1997) ‘Migrancy, Masculine Identities and AIDS: The Psychosocial Context of HIV transmission on the South African Gold Mines’ in Social Sciences Med., Volume 45, Number 2, pp. 273-281
• Dowsett, G. W. (2003) ‘Some Considerations on Sexuality and Gender in the Context of AIDS’ in Reproductive Health Matters, Volume 11, Number 22, pp.21-29
• Farmer, P. 1995 ‘Culture, Poverty, and the Dynamics of AIDS Transmission in Rural Haiti’ in T Brummelhuis, and G Herdt (ed.) Culture and Sexual Risk: Anthropological Perspectives on AIDS Amsterdam: Gordon and Breach Publishers
• Kiesling, S. (2001) ‘Stances in Whiteness and Hegemony in Fraternity Men’s Discourse’ in Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, Volume 11, Number 1, pp. 101-115
• Kiesling, S.F. (2001) “Now I Gotta Whatch What I Say’: Shifting Constructions of Masculinity in Discourse” in Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, Volume 11, Number 2, pp. 250-273
• Klein, H.E.M (2000) ‘Narrative’ in Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, Volume 9, Number 1-2, pp. 167-169
• Levine, S. & Ross, F. 2002 ‘Perceptions of and Attitudes to HIV/AIDS among young adults at UCT’ in Social Dynamics 28(1): 89-108
• Lund, O.C.H., et al. (2006) ‘Tactics of Hierarchy Negotiation’ in Journal of Research in Personality, Volume 41, pp. 25-44
• North West University (2007) ‘Our recent history’ in About Us, url:http://www.nwu.ac.za/opencms/export/NWU/html/nwu/about-us-rhistory.html accessed: 20 April 2007
• North West University, Potchefstroom Campus (2007) ‘Why the NWU-PUK Campus?’ in Prospective Students, url:http://www.puk.ac.za/vstudente/index_e.html accessed: 20 April 2007
• Prinsloo, A.F. (2005) Spreekwoorde en waar hulle vandaan kom, Pharos Woordeboeke, NB Uitgewers, Kaapstad
• Watson, K.A. (n.d) ‘A Rheutorical and Sociolinguistic Model for the Analysis of Narritive’ in American Anthropologist, Volume , pp. 243-
• Wikipedia, Baseball Metaphor in a sexual context, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/baseball_Metaphor , accessed: 25 April 2007
Appendix A:
Ethical Considerations
Anthropologists often have to interact very closely with the members of the community that have chosen to participate in the study and our first responsibility should always be towards them. Participants should never be reduced to a “means to an end”, but should always be handled with care and respect. This has certain implications for any given study and even as a student anthropologist, I am bound by these conventions. In an effort to guarantee my participants’ anonymity, I gave them the opportunity to choose their own pseudonyms and conducted all my interviews privately. Because this study might one day form part of a larger one, the participants were required to sign release forms, but there is no way that I am aware of to connect these forms with the transcripts of their interviews. I have also tried to make sure that my participants all received fair representation, and have strived to keep my comments as neutral as possible. During interviews I gave my participants the choice about whether or not to answer certain questions and Jannie Gietergat was one of the few who used this right by refusing to explain “koekkie hollander broekkies” on tape.
(Based on: Ethical Guidelines and Principles of Conduct for Anthropologists)
Appendix B:
Translation and Explanations of Certain Phrases
• Kat uit die boom uit kyk – “’n Afwagtende houding inneem. Versigtig wees. See which way the cat jumps.” – Prinsloo (2005)
• Meng jou met die semels en die varke vreet jou op – “As jy met slegte geselskap omgaan, word jy ook sleg. Touch pitch and be defiled.”—Prinsloo (2005)
• Uit die bloute uit – Out of the blue. Something that happens that is unexpected.
• In ‘n negatiewe lig sien – “ Swak voorstel. Present something in a bad light.”—Prinsloo (2005)
• As ‘n yster warm genoeg raak, dan buig hy – If someone comes under enough pressure, they will change their mind. In context this means that getting excited in a sexual context could influence someone’s choices.
• Hy het nog nie die pyp gerook nie – He has not had sex yet.
• Selfbeeld in ‘n bottel – Self esteem from a bottle, similar to the idea of “Dutch courage”.
• Oop en bloot – Out in the open. Someone said something without disguising it in any way.
• Nie ‘n halwe kans nie – There is no way. Not even half a chance.
• Hits ‘n mens aan – Encourage someone to do something
• ‘n Pad saam met iemand gestap het – Based on the belief that when you have spent a lot of time with someone and gone through certain things with them, you should know them reasonably well.
The Non-ideology Ideology of End of Ideology Theories
‘The Non-ideology Ideology of End of Ideology Theories’
In this essay I examine the “End of Ideology’ theory, made popular first in the 60’s and then again in the early 90’s. I briefly outline the dominant narratives and consider the context in which this “non-ideology” ideology was conceived, as well as discussing its validity in contemporary society.
Historical Overview
In 1806 a German man named Georg Willem Hegel made the bold claim that history had come to its end. This followed shortly after Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of Jena. The victory became a symbol to Hegel. Representing the overall victory of French ideals of freedom, liberty and equality. To Hegel, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the world caught up and adopted these same ideals (Fukuyama: 1989). The tumultuous century that followed led to new ideologies being formed, instead of everyone subscribing to the French way of thinking. Between 1815-1848 most of Europe was engaged in revolutions. Long standing monarchies were challenged by people who started to realize, that they could have rights as well as duties (Bullock: 1969). At the end of these, opinions were varied about exactly how these “newly free” men should be governed. Different interpretations and new technological advances such as industrialisation and the rise of capitalism in the late 19th century provided fertile ground where new ideologies could develop (Bullock: 1969; Heywood: 2002). Two world wars later Daniel Bell declared ‘the end of ideology’, despite the fact that conflicting ideologies remained present in the world and the stage was set for a debate that still rages on(Calhoun: 2002, Heywood: 2002 ).
Major Contributors & Theories
The official credit for starting the ‘end of ideology’ debate is usually attributed to Daniel Bell, for a book he wrote in 1960 called ‘The End of Ideology’ (Calhoun: 2002; Heywood: 2002; Hoffman: 2002). Even though other political scientists had released similar texts in that same period (Calhoun: 2002). Bell believed that Ideologies such as Socialism and Liberalism had failed to deliver on their promises and saw the newly emerging democratic states as the answer. The stabilizing effect that these new liberal democratic states seemed to be having on industrialised countries was taken as proof of their victory over “inferior” ideologies (Calhoun: 2002; Haywood: 2002). All that was needed now was to wait while the rest of the world switched over.
Francis Fukuyama built on this idea as well as combining some of Hegel’s work in his own theory (Fukuyama: 1989) and in the early 90’s and in 1992 he wrote ‘The End of History’. This has become the ‘poster publication’ in the debate between different interpretations of the changing world orders. Fukuyama too believed that single triumphant ideology was emerging in the form political and economical liberalism (Haywood: 2002; Hoffman: 2002; Jisi & Sicheng: 1996, Seizaburo Sato: 1997). And was so convinced of its impending triumph that he ignored elements such as nationalism and politicized religions when he was constructing his theory (Hoffman: 2002; Sid-Ahmed: 1999).
Following Fukuyama’s paper, Samuel Huntington provided his own version of the new world order. His 1996 book ‘The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of a New World Order’ paints a dim view of the future. He predicts an increase in violence and an absence of values and clashes between civilizations. He urges Western governments to stick together and combine forces in order to weather this perceived threat (Hoffman: 2002; Huntington: 1996; Jisi & Sicheng: 1996; Seizaburo Sato: 1997).
The Huntington’s paper hints at a deep level of insecurity in the minds of Western civilization and could have dire consequences should it be followed too closely by policy makers (Jisi & Sicheng: 1996)
Not all analysts have such melodramatic theories, Henry Kissinger and Raymond Aron for example, take a far more relaxed view of the changes in international relations. Kissinger believes that a state’s power on the military and economic front determines its fate. To him the interdependence and international institutions created by globalization are secondary and fragile phenomena. And the main motivators of state’s objectives were threats to their survival or security. Aron supplements this theory by adding with what he calls “the germ of universal consciousness”. An idea that he bases on similarities in market norms from liberal developed states (Hoffman: 2002).
Discussion
Given the current political situation with new and contradictory ideologies emerging despite western democracy’s claim of supremacy, declaring ‘the end of ideology’ would be premature (Eriksen: 2001; Barber: 1992; Blinder: 2006; Hoffman: 2002; Jisi & Sicheng: 1996). Western claims of single superiority and ownership regarding the hegemonic ideology smacks of arrogance and ignorance (Barber: 1992; Hoffman: 2002; Jisi & Sicheng: 1996). Articles such as those by Rushdie (2001;2002) personify the egotistical qualities America is being accused of and that Huntington (1996) warn against. America and Anti-Americans (2002) in particular seems to be written with the sole intension of being as offensive as possible. Along with wild allegations and bold claims being made, he attributes self-degrading quotes (“We hate America because it has made of itself what we cannot make of ourselves.”) to ‘phantom’ Muslims on which he then builds an unconvincing argument, that jealousy is the motivation behind terrorism.
When one has been exposed to such bigotry, it may be tempting to judge ‘end of ideology’ theories too harshly, and it is important to note the context in which specific claims were made (Eriksen: 2001; Seizaburo Sato: 1997).There are significant flaws in arguments for the ‘end of ideologies’, but contemporary politics should be taken in to account (Eriksen: 2001). ‘The End of History’ was published in a time when the cold war was coming to an end. Communism had fallen and the victory of liberal western democracy over the other “lesser” ideologies seemed assured (Calhoun:2002; Heywood: 2002;Hoffman: 2002).
No claim of the indisputable triumph of one ideology over another can ever be truly justified (Barber: 1992; Hoffman: 2002; Jisi & Sicheng: 1996; Seizaburo Sato: 1997). In an ideal world it might indeed be possible that an ideology can be created that would satisfy all those involved, with no one group profiting from the exploitation of another but currently this is not possible (Barber: 1992; Blinder: 2006). What is true is that western ideals of liberal democracy have spread into large areas of the world, this spread does not guarantee conversion, it simply notes that other countries have been exposed to them (Barber: 1992; Blinder: 2006; Eriksen: 2001; Hoffman: 2002; Jisi & Sicheng: 1996; Seizaburo Sato: 1997).
A flaw of popular modern discourse surrounding the end of ideologies is that those who endorse them are most often Americans, who promote their own brand of liberal democracy, as is the case with Rushdie (1991; 2001; 2002). This version of liberal democracy and the approval of globalisation and ideas of a global culture are built on the premise that this new “global culture” will automatically mean “western culture”. Fukuyama advocates this idea of liberal democracy triumphing over all the others and in noting the spread of global capitalist markets, not only concludes the superiority of such a “capitalist ideology”, but sees such a victory as unavoidable. Despite seeming that way in the early 90’s when booming international markets and new innovations increased the power that America already had , it no longer rings true (Sid-Ahmed: 1999).
Conclusion
Human diversity and opposition to outside dominance are two key factors that support the “permanent” existence of multiple ideologies (Eriksen: 2001) Recent political developments have highlighted active resistance from those cultures forced into conversion and some have made it very clear that a “western ideology” is not synonymous to a “global ideology” (Barber: 1992; Hoffman: 2002; Huntington: 1996; Jisi & Sicheng: 1996).It is unlikely that the creation of a global ideology would automatically end all unrest , such complete assimilation would have greater chances for anarchy due to a lack of cohesion as predicted by Huntington. Thus far, globalization has failed to produce a collection of homogeneous individuals and has actually led to greater cultural variation and prominent expressions of uniqueness (Eriksen: 2001)
There are numerous difficulties imbedded in the concept of ‘the end of ideology’. The most obvious one is the assumption that the entire human population can or should be coerced into conforming to a single idea (Jisi & Sischeng: 1996)l. Such homogenisation completely ignores cultural diversity as well as failing to take in to account the various local contexts involved (Eriksen: 2001; Seizaburo Sato: 1997). A prominent factor in these calls by western hegemonies for homogenisation and forming a “global culture” is the assumption that other “weaker” countries need to modernise and evolve so they can become part of the global society (Rushdie: 2001; 2002). Westernisation is not the same as modernisation and intentions to coerce entire nations to convert to a flawed and exploitative ideology is patently absurd (Barber: 1992; Jisi & Sicheng: 1996; Seizaburo Sato: 1997). Capitalism has exploitation built in to its very nature and in order for one entity to profit, it inevitably means that another has to lose (Blinder: 2006). Ideologies with no intention to improve the lives of mankind go against the entire ideological concept and accepting an ideology so fundamentally flawed as the current capitalist model, would be to our own detriment.
Reference list
• Barber, B.R. 1992 ‘Jihad vs. McWorld’ in Atlantic Monthly, March 1992, pp. 53-65
• Blinder, A.S. 2006 ‘Offshoring: The Next Industrial Revolution?’ in Foreign Affairs, March/April 2006
• Bullock, A. 1969 Europe: Patterns of Power , Marshall Cavendish Book Lim.: London.
• Calhoun, C. (ed.) 2002 Dictionary of the Social Sciences, Oxford University Press: New York.
• Eriksen, T.H. 2001 ‘Politics and Power’ in Small Places, Large Issues: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology, Second Edition, Pluto Press: London, pp. 157-175
• Fukuyama, F. 1989 ‘The End of History?’ in The National Interest, Summer 1989
• Heywood, A. 2002 ‘Theories of Politics’ and ‘Nations and Globalization’ in Politics, Second edition, Palgrave Macmillan: China, pp.
• Hoffman, S. 2002 ‘Clash of Globalizations: A New Paradigm?’ in Foreign Affairs, July/August 2002
• Huntington, S. 1996 The Clash of Civilization and The Remaking of World Order, Touchstone Books: London
• Jisi, W. & Sicheng, Z 1996 ‘Civilizations: Clash or Fusion?’ in Beijing Review, Vol. 39, Issue 3, 3 Jan. 1996
• Rushdie, S. 1991 ‘One Thousand Days in a Balloon’ in New York Times, 12 Dec. 1991
• Rushdie, S. 2001 ‘Yes, This Is About Islam’ in New York Times, 2Nov. 2001
• Rushdie, S. 2002 ‘America & Anti-Americans’ in New York Times, 4Feb. 2002
• Sid-Ahmed, M. 1999 ‘Back to the End of History’ in Al-Ahram Weekly, Issue 428, 6-12 May, Published: Cairo
• Seizaburo Sato 1997 ‘The Clash of Civilizations: A View From Japan’ Special Colum on Huntington’s treatise “The Clash of Civilizations’ First of the Series, July 1997, Copyright: Institute for International Policy Studies & Okamoto International Affairs Research Institute
In this essay I examine the “End of Ideology’ theory, made popular first in the 60’s and then again in the early 90’s. I briefly outline the dominant narratives and consider the context in which this “non-ideology” ideology was conceived, as well as discussing its validity in contemporary society.
Historical Overview
In 1806 a German man named Georg Willem Hegel made the bold claim that history had come to its end. This followed shortly after Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of Jena. The victory became a symbol to Hegel. Representing the overall victory of French ideals of freedom, liberty and equality. To Hegel, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the world caught up and adopted these same ideals (Fukuyama: 1989). The tumultuous century that followed led to new ideologies being formed, instead of everyone subscribing to the French way of thinking. Between 1815-1848 most of Europe was engaged in revolutions. Long standing monarchies were challenged by people who started to realize, that they could have rights as well as duties (Bullock: 1969). At the end of these, opinions were varied about exactly how these “newly free” men should be governed. Different interpretations and new technological advances such as industrialisation and the rise of capitalism in the late 19th century provided fertile ground where new ideologies could develop (Bullock: 1969; Heywood: 2002). Two world wars later Daniel Bell declared ‘the end of ideology’, despite the fact that conflicting ideologies remained present in the world and the stage was set for a debate that still rages on(Calhoun: 2002, Heywood: 2002 ).
Major Contributors & Theories
The official credit for starting the ‘end of ideology’ debate is usually attributed to Daniel Bell, for a book he wrote in 1960 called ‘The End of Ideology’ (Calhoun: 2002; Heywood: 2002; Hoffman: 2002). Even though other political scientists had released similar texts in that same period (Calhoun: 2002). Bell believed that Ideologies such as Socialism and Liberalism had failed to deliver on their promises and saw the newly emerging democratic states as the answer. The stabilizing effect that these new liberal democratic states seemed to be having on industrialised countries was taken as proof of their victory over “inferior” ideologies (Calhoun: 2002; Haywood: 2002). All that was needed now was to wait while the rest of the world switched over.
Francis Fukuyama built on this idea as well as combining some of Hegel’s work in his own theory (Fukuyama: 1989) and in the early 90’s and in 1992 he wrote ‘The End of History’. This has become the ‘poster publication’ in the debate between different interpretations of the changing world orders. Fukuyama too believed that single triumphant ideology was emerging in the form political and economical liberalism (Haywood: 2002; Hoffman: 2002; Jisi & Sicheng: 1996, Seizaburo Sato: 1997). And was so convinced of its impending triumph that he ignored elements such as nationalism and politicized religions when he was constructing his theory (Hoffman: 2002; Sid-Ahmed: 1999).
Following Fukuyama’s paper, Samuel Huntington provided his own version of the new world order. His 1996 book ‘The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of a New World Order’ paints a dim view of the future. He predicts an increase in violence and an absence of values and clashes between civilizations. He urges Western governments to stick together and combine forces in order to weather this perceived threat (Hoffman: 2002; Huntington: 1996; Jisi & Sicheng: 1996; Seizaburo Sato: 1997).
The Huntington’s paper hints at a deep level of insecurity in the minds of Western civilization and could have dire consequences should it be followed too closely by policy makers (Jisi & Sicheng: 1996)
Not all analysts have such melodramatic theories, Henry Kissinger and Raymond Aron for example, take a far more relaxed view of the changes in international relations. Kissinger believes that a state’s power on the military and economic front determines its fate. To him the interdependence and international institutions created by globalization are secondary and fragile phenomena. And the main motivators of state’s objectives were threats to their survival or security. Aron supplements this theory by adding with what he calls “the germ of universal consciousness”. An idea that he bases on similarities in market norms from liberal developed states (Hoffman: 2002).
Discussion
Given the current political situation with new and contradictory ideologies emerging despite western democracy’s claim of supremacy, declaring ‘the end of ideology’ would be premature (Eriksen: 2001; Barber: 1992; Blinder: 2006; Hoffman: 2002; Jisi & Sicheng: 1996). Western claims of single superiority and ownership regarding the hegemonic ideology smacks of arrogance and ignorance (Barber: 1992; Hoffman: 2002; Jisi & Sicheng: 1996). Articles such as those by Rushdie (2001;2002) personify the egotistical qualities America is being accused of and that Huntington (1996) warn against. America and Anti-Americans (2002) in particular seems to be written with the sole intension of being as offensive as possible. Along with wild allegations and bold claims being made, he attributes self-degrading quotes (“We hate America because it has made of itself what we cannot make of ourselves.”) to ‘phantom’ Muslims on which he then builds an unconvincing argument, that jealousy is the motivation behind terrorism.
When one has been exposed to such bigotry, it may be tempting to judge ‘end of ideology’ theories too harshly, and it is important to note the context in which specific claims were made (Eriksen: 2001; Seizaburo Sato: 1997).There are significant flaws in arguments for the ‘end of ideologies’, but contemporary politics should be taken in to account (Eriksen: 2001). ‘The End of History’ was published in a time when the cold war was coming to an end. Communism had fallen and the victory of liberal western democracy over the other “lesser” ideologies seemed assured (Calhoun:2002; Heywood: 2002;Hoffman: 2002).
No claim of the indisputable triumph of one ideology over another can ever be truly justified (Barber: 1992; Hoffman: 2002; Jisi & Sicheng: 1996; Seizaburo Sato: 1997). In an ideal world it might indeed be possible that an ideology can be created that would satisfy all those involved, with no one group profiting from the exploitation of another but currently this is not possible (Barber: 1992; Blinder: 2006). What is true is that western ideals of liberal democracy have spread into large areas of the world, this spread does not guarantee conversion, it simply notes that other countries have been exposed to them (Barber: 1992; Blinder: 2006; Eriksen: 2001; Hoffman: 2002; Jisi & Sicheng: 1996; Seizaburo Sato: 1997).
A flaw of popular modern discourse surrounding the end of ideologies is that those who endorse them are most often Americans, who promote their own brand of liberal democracy, as is the case with Rushdie (1991; 2001; 2002). This version of liberal democracy and the approval of globalisation and ideas of a global culture are built on the premise that this new “global culture” will automatically mean “western culture”. Fukuyama advocates this idea of liberal democracy triumphing over all the others and in noting the spread of global capitalist markets, not only concludes the superiority of such a “capitalist ideology”, but sees such a victory as unavoidable. Despite seeming that way in the early 90’s when booming international markets and new innovations increased the power that America already had , it no longer rings true (Sid-Ahmed: 1999).
Conclusion
Human diversity and opposition to outside dominance are two key factors that support the “permanent” existence of multiple ideologies (Eriksen: 2001) Recent political developments have highlighted active resistance from those cultures forced into conversion and some have made it very clear that a “western ideology” is not synonymous to a “global ideology” (Barber: 1992; Hoffman: 2002; Huntington: 1996; Jisi & Sicheng: 1996).It is unlikely that the creation of a global ideology would automatically end all unrest , such complete assimilation would have greater chances for anarchy due to a lack of cohesion as predicted by Huntington. Thus far, globalization has failed to produce a collection of homogeneous individuals and has actually led to greater cultural variation and prominent expressions of uniqueness (Eriksen: 2001)
There are numerous difficulties imbedded in the concept of ‘the end of ideology’. The most obvious one is the assumption that the entire human population can or should be coerced into conforming to a single idea (Jisi & Sischeng: 1996)l. Such homogenisation completely ignores cultural diversity as well as failing to take in to account the various local contexts involved (Eriksen: 2001; Seizaburo Sato: 1997). A prominent factor in these calls by western hegemonies for homogenisation and forming a “global culture” is the assumption that other “weaker” countries need to modernise and evolve so they can become part of the global society (Rushdie: 2001; 2002). Westernisation is not the same as modernisation and intentions to coerce entire nations to convert to a flawed and exploitative ideology is patently absurd (Barber: 1992; Jisi & Sicheng: 1996; Seizaburo Sato: 1997). Capitalism has exploitation built in to its very nature and in order for one entity to profit, it inevitably means that another has to lose (Blinder: 2006). Ideologies with no intention to improve the lives of mankind go against the entire ideological concept and accepting an ideology so fundamentally flawed as the current capitalist model, would be to our own detriment.
Reference list
• Barber, B.R. 1992 ‘Jihad vs. McWorld’ in Atlantic Monthly, March 1992, pp. 53-65
• Blinder, A.S. 2006 ‘Offshoring: The Next Industrial Revolution?’ in Foreign Affairs, March/April 2006
• Bullock, A. 1969 Europe: Patterns of Power , Marshall Cavendish Book Lim.: London.
• Calhoun, C. (ed.) 2002 Dictionary of the Social Sciences, Oxford University Press: New York.
• Eriksen, T.H. 2001 ‘Politics and Power’ in Small Places, Large Issues: An Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology, Second Edition, Pluto Press: London, pp. 157-175
• Fukuyama, F. 1989 ‘The End of History?’ in The National Interest, Summer 1989
• Heywood, A. 2002 ‘Theories of Politics’ and ‘Nations and Globalization’ in Politics, Second edition, Palgrave Macmillan: China, pp.
• Hoffman, S. 2002 ‘Clash of Globalizations: A New Paradigm?’ in Foreign Affairs, July/August 2002
• Huntington, S. 1996 The Clash of Civilization and The Remaking of World Order, Touchstone Books: London
• Jisi, W. & Sicheng, Z 1996 ‘Civilizations: Clash or Fusion?’ in Beijing Review, Vol. 39, Issue 3, 3 Jan. 1996
• Rushdie, S. 1991 ‘One Thousand Days in a Balloon’ in New York Times, 12 Dec. 1991
• Rushdie, S. 2001 ‘Yes, This Is About Islam’ in New York Times, 2Nov. 2001
• Rushdie, S. 2002 ‘America & Anti-Americans’ in New York Times, 4Feb. 2002
• Sid-Ahmed, M. 1999 ‘Back to the End of History’ in Al-Ahram Weekly, Issue 428, 6-12 May, Published: Cairo
• Seizaburo Sato 1997 ‘The Clash of Civilizations: A View From Japan’ Special Colum on Huntington’s treatise “The Clash of Civilizations’ First of the Series, July 1997, Copyright: Institute for International Policy Studies & Okamoto International Affairs Research Institute
Organ Transplantation: The Jekyl and Hyde Phenomenon
‘Organ Transplantation: The Jekyl and Hyde Phenomenon’
In this essay I examine the complex topic of organ transplantation and the ethical considerations involved in the practices that surround it. I discuss the bio-politics of transplantation, focussing on the interaction between technological development and legislation. I argue that new developments have a direct influence on policies designed to regulate organ transplantation and refer to ethnographic examples to illustrate certain points. In addition to this I mention different approaches employed by various governments to address the same issue. These examples are taken mainly from ethnographic texts by well-known anthropologists such as Nancy Sheper-Hughes. I briefly outline the current debates surrounding the organ trade, providing the main points of each respective argument. I do this drawing on the works of: Anderson (2006); Cohen (1999); Das (2000); Grant (2006); Helman (1988); Joralemon (1995); Koening & Hogle; Scheper-Hughes (2000; 2003); Sharp (2000), Siminoff & Chillag (1999) and Teo(1991).
INTRODUCTION
Science has had a profound effect on modern lives, with new technological advances influencing not only the way we live, but also the way we think (Helman: 1988; Joralemon: 1995; Sharp: 2000). Organ transplant surgery is one such biomedical breakthrough that has challenged conceptions of the body and its place in society (Cohen: 1999; Das: 2000; Helman: 1988; Scheper-Hughes: 2003). The body has become fragmented and industrialised. Turning it in to a machine, with various parts that can be replaced when they wore out (Helman: 1988). These changes are not always welcome and since it’s conception transplant surgery has been a matter of contestation (Das: 2000; Helman: 1988; Joralemon: 1995; Teo: 1991). Subsequent developments have provided more questions than answers bringing new possibilities, but also creating new dilemmas (Koening & Hogle). New commoditised perceptions of the body eventually led to problems such as: organ sales, disputes regarding live donors and human trafficking (Anderson: 2006; Cohen: 1999; Scheper-Hughes: 2000; 2003; Sharp: 2000).
DISCUSSION
In a era when capitalism and industrialisation is forever growing and extending its hold on the world, transplant surgery found its niche in the global market (Anderson: 2006; Das: 2000; Scheper-Hughes: 2000; Teo: 1991). Making use of biomedical metaphors and offering the ‘gift of life’ to those in need (Siminoff & Chillag: 1999; ), provided that they can afford it (Cohen: 1999; Koenig & Hogle; Scheper-Hughes: 2000, 2003; Siminoff & Chillag: 1999; Sharp: 2000). The growing demand for organs suitable for transplant far surpasses the available supply of willing donors (Joralemon: 1995; Sharp: 2000). Transforming vital organs in to the ultimate commodity, expensive, exclusive and life changing (Cohen: 2000; Scheper-Hughes: 2003; Sharp: 2000). Such Commodification of the human body and its parts highlighted historical inequalities and exploitative practices, as well as giving rise to a whole gamut of new exploitation methods (Das: 2000; Joralemon: 1995; Sharp: 2000; Siminoff & Chillag: 1999; Teo: 1991). The bodies of the poor became a resource of vital organs for the wealthy (Anderson: 2006; Cohen: 1999; Das: 2000; Grant: 2006; Scheper-Hughes: 2000-2003 ). Neither Commodification nor exploitation are new concepts, but in their contemporary forms they have raised questions regarding ownership and control over the individual body (Das: 2000; Sharp: 2000). Governments have turned to legislation, passing new laws regulating body parts in an effort to halt the organ trade, or at the very least reduce exploitation ( Cohen: 1999; Das: 1988; Joralemon: 1995; Scheper-Hughes: 2000; Siminoff & Chillag: 1999). These laws were not entirely successful (Cohen: 1999; Grant: 2006).
Legislation was not passed simultaneously and the local organ trade simply went global in the hunt for transplant organs, transcending national boundaries in an effort to gain an advantage (Cohen: 1999, Das: 2000; Koenig & Hogle; Scheper-Hughes: 2000; 2003; Sharp: 2000; Siminoff & Chillag: 1999). For a while the mobile wealthy could legally circumvent their own laws regarding transplantation by turning to countries where such regulations were not yet in effect or not properly enforced (Das: 2000; Grant: 2006). This created a phenomenon known as transplant tourism which is still taking place at the present time ( Das: 2000). Examples of this are countries such as India and Turkey, where live donors offer up kidneys to rich foreigners, who visit the country with the sole intention of procuring organs (Cohen: 1999; Joralemon: 1995).
India became notorious during the early 90’s for a booming trade in live donor organs, commonly referred to as the “Organ Bazaars” (Cohen: 1999; Grant: 2006; Scheper-Hughes: 2000). Expose articles and media coverage such as Grant’s (2006) documentary “A Pound of Flesh” led to a public outcry and the practice of selling organs was outlawed in 1994 (Cohen: 1999; Scheper-Hughes: 2003). Instead of ending it, the new legislation simply pushed the practice underground where the ‘black market’ in organ trade thrived (Cohen: 1999; Das: 2000; Sharp: 2000). Despite live donations being illegal the law makes exceptions in its restrictions regarding live donations provided that there was a existing close relationship between the donor and the recipient (Cohen: 1999; Grant: 2006, Scheper-Hughes: 2000). Those involved with transplant coordination, capitalised on this weak spot, bribing officials and family members in a bid to procure organs (Cohen: 1999; Sharp: 2000).
Globalisation is not without its merits, because in some cases the public needs to be protected not only from unscrupulous organ dealers, but from the state itself (Anderson: 2006; Scheper-Hughes: 2000; Teo: 1991). This was the case in Brazil and Argentina in the 70’s and 80’s before the switch to democratic government was made and continued in Eastern countries till the late 90’s (Scheper-Hughes: 2000). Trade sanctions and outside pressure brought about official policy changes in countries such as Singapore and China. After pressure from international human rights organisations, first Taiwan and later China passed legislation making buying and selling of organs illegal (Scheper-Hughes: 2000; 2003). Before this law was passed, the organs of executed Chinese prisoners were routinely sold off to foreign buyers and influential locals (Siminoff & Chillag: 1999).
Yielding to pressure and passing the laws was not enough in China and allegations of human rights abuses remain rampant (Scheper-Hughes: 2000; 2003). These allegations mainly involve the organs of condemned criminals, but claims that harsh new anti-crime campaigns are motivated by the growing demand for transplant organs have fuelled numerous international enquiries.The Chinese government has denied the allegations, but passed legislation forbidding medical and administrative staff involved with transplant procedures from providing information to anyone outside the system (Scheper-Hughes: 2000).
On web sites such as www.organtransplant.bz transplant surgeries are offered with the organ that is to be used including the quotation price. With prices ranging between $ 45 000,00 and $ 60 000,00 for a kidney and a liver transplant going up to a possible $ 100 000,00 plus the added $ 5000,00 coordination fee, transplant surgery is expensive even without added complications. The complete control of the Chinese state over the individual body creates an environment where state funded exploitation can flourish, while effectively silencing those who would protest (Anderson: 2006; Scheper-Hughes: 2000).
The Aadhil hospital in Pakistan is more discreet. On its website http://www.aadhilhospital.com it advertises a living donor registry, guarantees a match and promises a short waiting period. They do not have direct quotes for the surgery posted on the website as is the case in China, but they make it clear that the package that is eventually negotiated will include the medical and other costs of the donor as well. Their surgeons operate in a high-tech facility and are internationally qualified.
Some countries such as Belgium, Spain, Italy, Greece and Austria have taken a more direct approach in a bid to eliminate the global organ trade, by introducing ‘presumed consent’ laws (Das: 2000; Joralemon: 1995; Koenig & Hogle; Scheper-Hughes: 2000, 2003 ). Such a laws dictate that any permanent resident over a certain age is automatically considered to have consented to organ donation, in the event of an untimely death. The only way to avoid donation in these countries is to officially ‘opt out’ of donation (Das: 2000). In some countries such as Spain, the family of the deceased still holds the right to decide whether or not they are willing to consent to donation (Scheper-Hughes: 2000).
Although the effort was made to regulate and thus limit the uses to which the body could be put, public resistance to such restrictions is growing (Cohen: 1999; Helman: 1988; Joralemon: 1995). The idea of individual rights and autonomy are built in to the fibre of western ideology and such regulations seem to contradict this fundamental element (Siminoff & Chillag: 1999). Despite resistance, state regulation of the individual body is nothing new (Sharp: 2000). Various local and international human rights laws enforce certain restrictions with the presumed intention of protecting the public (Scheper-Hughes: 2000; 2003).
CURRENT DEBATES
Although trade in organs is currently illegal, there are those who favour regulation over legislation outlawing organ sales. These advocates of regulation often base their arguments on two points, the first is ownership and individual property rights. They argue that since you own your body you should be able to decide what happens to it. The second argument rests on the perceived global scarcity of organs. The demand for transplant organs surpass the supply and it is argued that compensation would provide an incentive that would raise donation numbers. Regulation advocates claim to take a pragmatic approach to a established and complicated social problem, but fail to take in to account the true costs associated with the surgery (Scheper-Hughes: 2000). Simply claiming that organ trade is taking place in anyway so both the donor and the recipient might as well benefit from the transaction is not enough justification for legalising a potentially exploitative practice (Cohen: 1999; Joralemon: 1995; Scheper-Hughes: 2003; Sharp: 2000; Siminoff & Chillag: 1999). Kidney sellers are almost desperate
Those who support the continued ban on organ sales raise issues such as exploitation and the potential social impact of donation on both the donor and their family (Scheper-Hughes: 2003). They argue that by reducing organs to this extend, one is simply profiting from the desperation of the poor (Cohen: 1999). An argument that is often countered by pointing out that live donors often defend their decision and many claim that they would make the same choice again if they had the opportunity (Das:2000). Live donation of organs from the bodies of the poor to those of the rich, often represent a desperate attempt on the part of the donors to get out of debt. While such donations are premised on the idea of presumed consent, it fails to take in to account that those making the choices are often not fully aware of the impact it could have on their lives (Das: 2000; Helman: 1988; Scheper-Hughes: 2000; 2003).
CONCLUSION
The multifarious nature of organ transplantation complicates discussions about the subject. Transplant surgery leads a strange double life, treading and sometimes crossing the line between good and evil ( Scheper-Hughes: 2000, Siminoff & Chillag: 1999). Each interpretation is as valid as the next leaving it up to context to define its nature. Dominant biomedical narratives surrounding transplant surgery highlights the potential benefits, while skilfully masking the potential pitfalls (Siminoff & Chillag: 1999). Potential benefits of transplant surgery are significant, but ignoring the dark side is not doing anyone any favours. Control represents a strong theme in the transplantation narrative even when it is not overtly expressed, with various parties taking part in a negotiation that only personally affects a select few (Scheper-Hughes: 2000; 2003; Sharp: 2000). Biomedical technology needed to change accepted social perceptions of the human body in order to gain individual support for transplant surgery. Such alterations represent control over the individual body, but also control over the mind (Helman: 1988; Joralemon: 1995). The exact location where this power ultimately resides is still a matter of contestation. Governments pass laws to regulate transplant practices while society resists such dominance, in various ingenious ways (Scheper-Hughes: 2000).
References
BOOKS & JOURNALS
• Cohen, L. 1999 ‘Where it Hurts: Indian Material for an Ethics of Organ Transplantation’ in Daedalus 128(4): 135-165
• Das, V. 2000 ‘The Practice of Organ Transplantations: Networks, Documents, Translations’ in M. Lock, A. Young, and A. Cambrioso (ed.) in Living and Working with the New Medical Technologies Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
• Helman, C. 1988 ‘Dr. Frankenstein and the Industrial Body: Reflections on ‘Spare Part’ Surgery’ in Anthropology Today 4(3): 14-16
• Joralemon, D. 1995 ‘Organ Wars: The Battle for Body Parts’ in Medical Anthropology Quarterly 9(3): 335-356
• Koenig, B.A. & Hogle, L.F. ‘Organ Transplantation (Re) Examined?’ in Medical Anthropology Quarterly 393-397
• Scheper-Hughes, N. 2000 ‘The Global Traffic in Human Organs’ in Current Anthropology, Vol.41, No.2, 2 April 2000
• Scheper-Hughes, N. 2003 ‘Keeping an Eye on the Global Traffic in Human Organs’ in Lancet 362: 1645-1648
• Sharp, L.A. 2000 ‘The Commodification of the Body and Its Parts’ in Annu. Rev. Anthropology 29: 287-328
• Siminoff, L.A. & Chillag, K. 1999 ‘The Fallacy of the “Gift of Life” in Hastings Centre Report 29, no. 6 34-41
• Teo, B. 1991 ‘Organs For Transplantation: The Singapore Experience’ in Hastings Center Report, November/December 1991
LINKS
(General)
• www.about.com
• Cline, A. 2007 ‘Selling Organs for Transplants: Commodification and Ownership of Bodies’ on About.com, Link: http://atheism.about.com/od/bioethics/a/sellingorgans.htm?p=1
• www.cnn.com
• Anderson C. 2006 ‘ Heading to China for an Organ Transplant’ in How Far Would You Go? An AC360◦ Special Series, on CNN.com, Link: http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/special/
• CNN.com ‘China alters transplant laws’ in World on CNN.com, Link: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/04/07/china.organs.ap/index.html
• CNN.com ‘Tuskegee’s ghosts: Fear hinders black marrow donation’ in Health on CNN.com, Link: http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/02/07/bone.marrow/index.html
• CNN.com ‘Modern Medical Breakthroughs’ in Health on CNN.com, Link: http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/01/12/vital.signs.overview/index.html
• CNN.com ‘Your Emails: How Far Would You Go?’ in US on CNN.com’ Link: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/14/how.far.emails/index.html
• www.youtube.com
• Mcai, N.J. ‘Children’s Organ Transplant Association PSA’ on youtube.com, Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCom7o0YXYk posted by: Richguitarblue
• Youtube.com 2006 ‘Organ Harvesting in China’ Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia04u0u8J8s posted: Georgia Y August 20, 2006
• http://www.pbs.org
• Grant, S. 2006 “A Pound of Flesh- Selling kidneys to survive” July 20, 2006 http://www.pbs.org/cgi-registry/mediaplayer/videoplayer.cgi?playeraddress=videoplayer.cgi&media=%2Ffrontlineworld%2Findia_kidneys_rc25_lo.rm%2C%2Ffrontlineworld%2Findia_kidneys_rc25_hi.rm%2C%2Ffrontlineworld%2Findia_kidneys_rc25_lo.mov%2C%2Ffrontlineworld%2Findia_kidneys_rc25_hi.mov&title=FRONTLINE%2FWorld%20.%20Rough%20Cut.%20India%3A%20A%20Pound%20of%20Flesh%20%7C%20PBS&playertemplate=%2Ffrontlineworld%2Frough%2Fvideotemplate1.html&description=India%3A%20A%20Pound%20of%20Flesh%20%2810%3A52%29
Hospitals and Organisations Involved with Transplants
• Aadhil Hospital. Pakistan – http://www.aadhilhospital.com
• Bek-Transplant – http://bek-transplant.com
• Kidney Transplant Associates. Pakistan – http://kidney.com.pk
• Organ Donor Foundation of South Africa – http://www.odf.co.za
• Organs Watch at Berkley – http://sunsite.berkley.edu/biotech/organswatch
• Organ Transplant – www.organtransplant.bz
• Unesco – http://www.unesco.org
In this essay I examine the complex topic of organ transplantation and the ethical considerations involved in the practices that surround it. I discuss the bio-politics of transplantation, focussing on the interaction between technological development and legislation. I argue that new developments have a direct influence on policies designed to regulate organ transplantation and refer to ethnographic examples to illustrate certain points. In addition to this I mention different approaches employed by various governments to address the same issue. These examples are taken mainly from ethnographic texts by well-known anthropologists such as Nancy Sheper-Hughes. I briefly outline the current debates surrounding the organ trade, providing the main points of each respective argument. I do this drawing on the works of: Anderson (2006); Cohen (1999); Das (2000); Grant (2006); Helman (1988); Joralemon (1995); Koening & Hogle; Scheper-Hughes (2000; 2003); Sharp (2000), Siminoff & Chillag (1999) and Teo(1991).
INTRODUCTION
Science has had a profound effect on modern lives, with new technological advances influencing not only the way we live, but also the way we think (Helman: 1988; Joralemon: 1995; Sharp: 2000). Organ transplant surgery is one such biomedical breakthrough that has challenged conceptions of the body and its place in society (Cohen: 1999; Das: 2000; Helman: 1988; Scheper-Hughes: 2003). The body has become fragmented and industrialised. Turning it in to a machine, with various parts that can be replaced when they wore out (Helman: 1988). These changes are not always welcome and since it’s conception transplant surgery has been a matter of contestation (Das: 2000; Helman: 1988; Joralemon: 1995; Teo: 1991). Subsequent developments have provided more questions than answers bringing new possibilities, but also creating new dilemmas (Koening & Hogle). New commoditised perceptions of the body eventually led to problems such as: organ sales, disputes regarding live donors and human trafficking (Anderson: 2006; Cohen: 1999; Scheper-Hughes: 2000; 2003; Sharp: 2000).
DISCUSSION
In a era when capitalism and industrialisation is forever growing and extending its hold on the world, transplant surgery found its niche in the global market (Anderson: 2006; Das: 2000; Scheper-Hughes: 2000; Teo: 1991). Making use of biomedical metaphors and offering the ‘gift of life’ to those in need (Siminoff & Chillag: 1999; ), provided that they can afford it (Cohen: 1999; Koenig & Hogle; Scheper-Hughes: 2000, 2003; Siminoff & Chillag: 1999; Sharp: 2000). The growing demand for organs suitable for transplant far surpasses the available supply of willing donors (Joralemon: 1995; Sharp: 2000). Transforming vital organs in to the ultimate commodity, expensive, exclusive and life changing (Cohen: 2000; Scheper-Hughes: 2003; Sharp: 2000). Such Commodification of the human body and its parts highlighted historical inequalities and exploitative practices, as well as giving rise to a whole gamut of new exploitation methods (Das: 2000; Joralemon: 1995; Sharp: 2000; Siminoff & Chillag: 1999; Teo: 1991). The bodies of the poor became a resource of vital organs for the wealthy (Anderson: 2006; Cohen: 1999; Das: 2000; Grant: 2006; Scheper-Hughes: 2000-2003 ). Neither Commodification nor exploitation are new concepts, but in their contemporary forms they have raised questions regarding ownership and control over the individual body (Das: 2000; Sharp: 2000). Governments have turned to legislation, passing new laws regulating body parts in an effort to halt the organ trade, or at the very least reduce exploitation ( Cohen: 1999; Das: 1988; Joralemon: 1995; Scheper-Hughes: 2000; Siminoff & Chillag: 1999). These laws were not entirely successful (Cohen: 1999; Grant: 2006).
Legislation was not passed simultaneously and the local organ trade simply went global in the hunt for transplant organs, transcending national boundaries in an effort to gain an advantage (Cohen: 1999, Das: 2000; Koenig & Hogle; Scheper-Hughes: 2000; 2003; Sharp: 2000; Siminoff & Chillag: 1999). For a while the mobile wealthy could legally circumvent their own laws regarding transplantation by turning to countries where such regulations were not yet in effect or not properly enforced (Das: 2000; Grant: 2006). This created a phenomenon known as transplant tourism which is still taking place at the present time ( Das: 2000). Examples of this are countries such as India and Turkey, where live donors offer up kidneys to rich foreigners, who visit the country with the sole intention of procuring organs (Cohen: 1999; Joralemon: 1995).
India became notorious during the early 90’s for a booming trade in live donor organs, commonly referred to as the “Organ Bazaars” (Cohen: 1999; Grant: 2006; Scheper-Hughes: 2000). Expose articles and media coverage such as Grant’s (2006) documentary “A Pound of Flesh” led to a public outcry and the practice of selling organs was outlawed in 1994 (Cohen: 1999; Scheper-Hughes: 2003). Instead of ending it, the new legislation simply pushed the practice underground where the ‘black market’ in organ trade thrived (Cohen: 1999; Das: 2000; Sharp: 2000). Despite live donations being illegal the law makes exceptions in its restrictions regarding live donations provided that there was a existing close relationship between the donor and the recipient (Cohen: 1999; Grant: 2006, Scheper-Hughes: 2000). Those involved with transplant coordination, capitalised on this weak spot, bribing officials and family members in a bid to procure organs (Cohen: 1999; Sharp: 2000).
Globalisation is not without its merits, because in some cases the public needs to be protected not only from unscrupulous organ dealers, but from the state itself (Anderson: 2006; Scheper-Hughes: 2000; Teo: 1991). This was the case in Brazil and Argentina in the 70’s and 80’s before the switch to democratic government was made and continued in Eastern countries till the late 90’s (Scheper-Hughes: 2000). Trade sanctions and outside pressure brought about official policy changes in countries such as Singapore and China. After pressure from international human rights organisations, first Taiwan and later China passed legislation making buying and selling of organs illegal (Scheper-Hughes: 2000; 2003). Before this law was passed, the organs of executed Chinese prisoners were routinely sold off to foreign buyers and influential locals (Siminoff & Chillag: 1999).
Yielding to pressure and passing the laws was not enough in China and allegations of human rights abuses remain rampant (Scheper-Hughes: 2000; 2003). These allegations mainly involve the organs of condemned criminals, but claims that harsh new anti-crime campaigns are motivated by the growing demand for transplant organs have fuelled numerous international enquiries.The Chinese government has denied the allegations, but passed legislation forbidding medical and administrative staff involved with transplant procedures from providing information to anyone outside the system (Scheper-Hughes: 2000).
On web sites such as www.organtransplant.bz transplant surgeries are offered with the organ that is to be used including the quotation price. With prices ranging between $ 45 000,00 and $ 60 000,00 for a kidney and a liver transplant going up to a possible $ 100 000,00 plus the added $ 5000,00 coordination fee, transplant surgery is expensive even without added complications. The complete control of the Chinese state over the individual body creates an environment where state funded exploitation can flourish, while effectively silencing those who would protest (Anderson: 2006; Scheper-Hughes: 2000).
The Aadhil hospital in Pakistan is more discreet. On its website http://www.aadhilhospital.com it advertises a living donor registry, guarantees a match and promises a short waiting period. They do not have direct quotes for the surgery posted on the website as is the case in China, but they make it clear that the package that is eventually negotiated will include the medical and other costs of the donor as well. Their surgeons operate in a high-tech facility and are internationally qualified.
Some countries such as Belgium, Spain, Italy, Greece and Austria have taken a more direct approach in a bid to eliminate the global organ trade, by introducing ‘presumed consent’ laws (Das: 2000; Joralemon: 1995; Koenig & Hogle; Scheper-Hughes: 2000, 2003 ). Such a laws dictate that any permanent resident over a certain age is automatically considered to have consented to organ donation, in the event of an untimely death. The only way to avoid donation in these countries is to officially ‘opt out’ of donation (Das: 2000). In some countries such as Spain, the family of the deceased still holds the right to decide whether or not they are willing to consent to donation (Scheper-Hughes: 2000).
Although the effort was made to regulate and thus limit the uses to which the body could be put, public resistance to such restrictions is growing (Cohen: 1999; Helman: 1988; Joralemon: 1995). The idea of individual rights and autonomy are built in to the fibre of western ideology and such regulations seem to contradict this fundamental element (Siminoff & Chillag: 1999). Despite resistance, state regulation of the individual body is nothing new (Sharp: 2000). Various local and international human rights laws enforce certain restrictions with the presumed intention of protecting the public (Scheper-Hughes: 2000; 2003).
CURRENT DEBATES
Although trade in organs is currently illegal, there are those who favour regulation over legislation outlawing organ sales. These advocates of regulation often base their arguments on two points, the first is ownership and individual property rights. They argue that since you own your body you should be able to decide what happens to it. The second argument rests on the perceived global scarcity of organs. The demand for transplant organs surpass the supply and it is argued that compensation would provide an incentive that would raise donation numbers. Regulation advocates claim to take a pragmatic approach to a established and complicated social problem, but fail to take in to account the true costs associated with the surgery (Scheper-Hughes: 2000). Simply claiming that organ trade is taking place in anyway so both the donor and the recipient might as well benefit from the transaction is not enough justification for legalising a potentially exploitative practice (Cohen: 1999; Joralemon: 1995; Scheper-Hughes: 2003; Sharp: 2000; Siminoff & Chillag: 1999). Kidney sellers are almost desperate
Those who support the continued ban on organ sales raise issues such as exploitation and the potential social impact of donation on both the donor and their family (Scheper-Hughes: 2003). They argue that by reducing organs to this extend, one is simply profiting from the desperation of the poor (Cohen: 1999). An argument that is often countered by pointing out that live donors often defend their decision and many claim that they would make the same choice again if they had the opportunity (Das:2000). Live donation of organs from the bodies of the poor to those of the rich, often represent a desperate attempt on the part of the donors to get out of debt. While such donations are premised on the idea of presumed consent, it fails to take in to account that those making the choices are often not fully aware of the impact it could have on their lives (Das: 2000; Helman: 1988; Scheper-Hughes: 2000; 2003).
CONCLUSION
The multifarious nature of organ transplantation complicates discussions about the subject. Transplant surgery leads a strange double life, treading and sometimes crossing the line between good and evil ( Scheper-Hughes: 2000, Siminoff & Chillag: 1999). Each interpretation is as valid as the next leaving it up to context to define its nature. Dominant biomedical narratives surrounding transplant surgery highlights the potential benefits, while skilfully masking the potential pitfalls (Siminoff & Chillag: 1999). Potential benefits of transplant surgery are significant, but ignoring the dark side is not doing anyone any favours. Control represents a strong theme in the transplantation narrative even when it is not overtly expressed, with various parties taking part in a negotiation that only personally affects a select few (Scheper-Hughes: 2000; 2003; Sharp: 2000). Biomedical technology needed to change accepted social perceptions of the human body in order to gain individual support for transplant surgery. Such alterations represent control over the individual body, but also control over the mind (Helman: 1988; Joralemon: 1995). The exact location where this power ultimately resides is still a matter of contestation. Governments pass laws to regulate transplant practices while society resists such dominance, in various ingenious ways (Scheper-Hughes: 2000).
References
BOOKS & JOURNALS
• Cohen, L. 1999 ‘Where it Hurts: Indian Material for an Ethics of Organ Transplantation’ in Daedalus 128(4): 135-165
• Das, V. 2000 ‘The Practice of Organ Transplantations: Networks, Documents, Translations’ in M. Lock, A. Young, and A. Cambrioso (ed.) in Living and Working with the New Medical Technologies Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
• Helman, C. 1988 ‘Dr. Frankenstein and the Industrial Body: Reflections on ‘Spare Part’ Surgery’ in Anthropology Today 4(3): 14-16
• Joralemon, D. 1995 ‘Organ Wars: The Battle for Body Parts’ in Medical Anthropology Quarterly 9(3): 335-356
• Koenig, B.A. & Hogle, L.F. ‘Organ Transplantation (Re) Examined?’ in Medical Anthropology Quarterly 393-397
• Scheper-Hughes, N. 2000 ‘The Global Traffic in Human Organs’ in Current Anthropology, Vol.41, No.2, 2 April 2000
• Scheper-Hughes, N. 2003 ‘Keeping an Eye on the Global Traffic in Human Organs’ in Lancet 362: 1645-1648
• Sharp, L.A. 2000 ‘The Commodification of the Body and Its Parts’ in Annu. Rev. Anthropology 29: 287-328
• Siminoff, L.A. & Chillag, K. 1999 ‘The Fallacy of the “Gift of Life” in Hastings Centre Report 29, no. 6 34-41
• Teo, B. 1991 ‘Organs For Transplantation: The Singapore Experience’ in Hastings Center Report, November/December 1991
LINKS
(General)
• www.about.com
• Cline, A. 2007 ‘Selling Organs for Transplants: Commodification and Ownership of Bodies’ on About.com, Link: http://atheism.about.com/od/bioethics/a/sellingorgans.htm?p=1
• www.cnn.com
• Anderson C. 2006 ‘ Heading to China for an Organ Transplant’ in How Far Would You Go? An AC360◦ Special Series, on CNN.com, Link: http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/special/
• CNN.com ‘China alters transplant laws’ in World on CNN.com, Link: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/04/07/china.organs.ap/index.html
• CNN.com ‘Tuskegee’s ghosts: Fear hinders black marrow donation’ in Health on CNN.com, Link: http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/02/07/bone.marrow/index.html
• CNN.com ‘Modern Medical Breakthroughs’ in Health on CNN.com, Link: http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/01/12/vital.signs.overview/index.html
• CNN.com ‘Your Emails: How Far Would You Go?’ in US on CNN.com’ Link: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/14/how.far.emails/index.html
• www.youtube.com
• Mcai, N.J. ‘Children’s Organ Transplant Association PSA’ on youtube.com, Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCom7o0YXYk posted by: Richguitarblue
• Youtube.com 2006 ‘Organ Harvesting in China’ Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia04u0u8J8s posted: Georgia Y August 20, 2006
• http://www.pbs.org
• Grant, S. 2006 “A Pound of Flesh- Selling kidneys to survive” July 20, 2006 http://www.pbs.org/cgi-registry/mediaplayer/videoplayer.cgi?playeraddress=videoplayer.cgi&media=%2Ffrontlineworld%2Findia_kidneys_rc25_lo.rm%2C%2Ffrontlineworld%2Findia_kidneys_rc25_hi.rm%2C%2Ffrontlineworld%2Findia_kidneys_rc25_lo.mov%2C%2Ffrontlineworld%2Findia_kidneys_rc25_hi.mov&title=FRONTLINE%2FWorld%20.%20Rough%20Cut.%20India%3A%20A%20Pound%20of%20Flesh%20%7C%20PBS&playertemplate=%2Ffrontlineworld%2Frough%2Fvideotemplate1.html&description=India%3A%20A%20Pound%20of%20Flesh%20%2810%3A52%29
Hospitals and Organisations Involved with Transplants
• Aadhil Hospital. Pakistan – http://www.aadhilhospital.com
• Bek-Transplant – http://bek-transplant.com
• Kidney Transplant Associates. Pakistan – http://kidney.com.pk
• Organ Donor Foundation of South Africa – http://www.odf.co.za
• Organs Watch at Berkley – http://sunsite.berkley.edu/biotech/organswatch
• Organ Transplant – www.organtransplant.bz
• Unesco – http://www.unesco.org
Tuesday 17 April 2007
guantanamo suspects trial
“Trials of Guantanamo suspects begin without a lawyer or reporter in sight” – By Andrew Buncombe in Washington
Published: 8 March 2007
This article is significant, as much for what it is, as for where it is not. In my trawling of the internet in search of articles on the U.S.’s torture policies, this article shines in its absence on U.S. newspaper sites.
Despite complaints, the Bush administration has decided to once again fly in the face of public opinion and go ahead with the military tribunals against fourteen terrorism suspects. These “trials” will take place far away from the prying eyes of the media and for some reason, even the suspects’ lawyers. The Bush administration claim it is in the interest of national security, which has been the official “line” offered in every justification from the war in Iraq up to torture today.
The prisoners are being denied their right to a fair trial and feeble compromises such as; transcripts being available at a later date sound hollow when the next line says: “it will be edited”. These trials are a “smoke and mirrors” display that the Bush administration is putting on purely for the benefit of the world looking in. They are shadow puppets with no real meaning. Of the 385 prisoners currently held at Guantanamo, the majority seem to be guilty of little more than being Muslim. The U.S. even spent $30m on a new prison block, ignoring the raucous kicked up by human rights groups. Even if the three main suspects are guilty, the misconduct of the U.S. legal system cast a shadow of doubt on their conviction.
DISCUSSION
It is a dark day for the human race when a prominent democracy decides to abandon the ideal of freedom in an attempt to cement their dominance. Sadly, that day has come. The Bush administration’s blatant disregard for the policies of the U.N. is sure to leave a bitter taste in the mouth of even the most loyal supporters. Before 9/11, nobody would have seriously considered the prospect of the U.S. endorsing torture and euphemistically calling it “advanced interrogation techniques”. Uncharged suspects are held without bail and the few who are charged are not guaranteed a fair trial.
The tragedy of the twin towers enabled Bush to rally a country and wield the kind of power many before him could only dream of.
The Bush administration ignores the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDSR) despite the fact that they too served on the council that helped draft it. Among other things the UDSR states: “No one shall be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”; “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.”; “Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.”
In no world can one reasonably assume that the Bush administration is ignorant to the fact that it is committing human rights violations on a daily basis. And the “but he did it too” defence is not legitimate, even on a school playground. Pointing fingers does not subtract from the current tragedy that is Iraq. Bush is serving as the self-proclaimed poster boy for western democracy and one has to ask oneself: “Is this really the man we want speaking for us?”
REFERENCES
• Buncombe, A. 2007 ‘Trials of Guantanamo suspects begin without a lawyer or reporter in sight’ in The independent, http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2338360.ece , accessed:8March 2007
• Moss, M. & Mekhennet, S. 2007 ‘Held 2 Years, Iraqi tells Of Abuses in U.S. Jail’ in The New York Times, Articles selected for the Sunday Times, march4,2007
• ‘Universal Declaration of Human rights’ in http://www.un.org/overview/rights.html accessed: 7March 2007-03-09
Published: 8 March 2007
This article is significant, as much for what it is, as for where it is not. In my trawling of the internet in search of articles on the U.S.’s torture policies, this article shines in its absence on U.S. newspaper sites.
Despite complaints, the Bush administration has decided to once again fly in the face of public opinion and go ahead with the military tribunals against fourteen terrorism suspects. These “trials” will take place far away from the prying eyes of the media and for some reason, even the suspects’ lawyers. The Bush administration claim it is in the interest of national security, which has been the official “line” offered in every justification from the war in Iraq up to torture today.
The prisoners are being denied their right to a fair trial and feeble compromises such as; transcripts being available at a later date sound hollow when the next line says: “it will be edited”. These trials are a “smoke and mirrors” display that the Bush administration is putting on purely for the benefit of the world looking in. They are shadow puppets with no real meaning. Of the 385 prisoners currently held at Guantanamo, the majority seem to be guilty of little more than being Muslim. The U.S. even spent $30m on a new prison block, ignoring the raucous kicked up by human rights groups. Even if the three main suspects are guilty, the misconduct of the U.S. legal system cast a shadow of doubt on their conviction.
DISCUSSION
It is a dark day for the human race when a prominent democracy decides to abandon the ideal of freedom in an attempt to cement their dominance. Sadly, that day has come. The Bush administration’s blatant disregard for the policies of the U.N. is sure to leave a bitter taste in the mouth of even the most loyal supporters. Before 9/11, nobody would have seriously considered the prospect of the U.S. endorsing torture and euphemistically calling it “advanced interrogation techniques”. Uncharged suspects are held without bail and the few who are charged are not guaranteed a fair trial.
The tragedy of the twin towers enabled Bush to rally a country and wield the kind of power many before him could only dream of.
The Bush administration ignores the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDSR) despite the fact that they too served on the council that helped draft it. Among other things the UDSR states: “No one shall be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”; “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.”; “Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.”
In no world can one reasonably assume that the Bush administration is ignorant to the fact that it is committing human rights violations on a daily basis. And the “but he did it too” defence is not legitimate, even on a school playground. Pointing fingers does not subtract from the current tragedy that is Iraq. Bush is serving as the self-proclaimed poster boy for western democracy and one has to ask oneself: “Is this really the man we want speaking for us?”
REFERENCES
• Buncombe, A. 2007 ‘Trials of Guantanamo suspects begin without a lawyer or reporter in sight’ in The independent, http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2338360.ece , accessed:8March 2007
• Moss, M. & Mekhennet, S. 2007 ‘Held 2 Years, Iraqi tells Of Abuses in U.S. Jail’ in The New York Times, Articles selected for the Sunday Times, march4,2007
• ‘Universal Declaration of Human rights’ in http://www.un.org/overview/rights.html accessed: 7March 2007-03-09
difficulties in nurturing
The difference between unwilling and unable
Introduction
In this essay I will demonstrate that the political economy in a country does indeed have an impact on the health of the children living there. I will also briefly look at the extend of the economy’s influence on healthcare as a major contributing factor in ill health. To do this I will draw on the works of Cliff & Noormahomed and Scheper-Hughes. I begin by examining case studies in Mozambique and Brazil. Combined with a short analysis of data gained in these articles.
Discussion
The adverse effects of a crippled economy is a daily reality that literally millions of people must learn to contend with (Cliff & Noormahomed 1993). This reality may come to the world’s attention in war torn countries like Mozambique, but it is all to easy to forget that these are not the only places where the problem lies. Even in countries where there has been economic growth, there are still those left out in the cold (Scheper-Hughes 1984).
I will use the three main determinants in children’s health as mentioned by Cliff & Noormahomed in order to illustrate the influence of the political economy on children’s health. These are 1. Socio-economic conditions; 2.Women’s health; 3. Access to health care services. Socio-economic conditions have the most direct influence of the three (Scheper-Hughes). Economical problems quickly translate into financial problems for poor families (Cliff & Noormahomed; Scheper-Hughes). Families are no longer able to afford enough food to meet their basis calorific needs, this leads to malnutrition and as a result growth faltering among children (Cliff& Noormahomed; Scheper-Hughes). This will also adversely effect the health of mothers, leaving them weakened and unable to render sufficient care. In Mozambique the war significantly reduces the amount of time that mother’s have to spend with their children. The reduced family income means more time spent looking for additional income in urban areas and increased travelling time in rural ones. The unstable climate of the country has led to hospitals becoming unsafe as well as making it almost impossible for mobile units to operate. Immunisations have dropped, leaving a generation of children vulnerable to diseases that could have been prevented (Cliff & Noormahomed).
In Brazil, the body imagery used by mothers in the rural shantytown closely mimics the reality of the larger society they inhabit. Mothers see themselves as unfit to produce anything of value when unable to produce milk to feed their child. They replicate social stratification, using words usually linked to a particular class to characterise their children. There are even cases of so called “selective neglect” where mothers neglect babies that they believe are weak to such an extend that they eventually die (Scheper-Hughes). Monetary constraints on these mother’s capacity to raise happy, healthy children adds a deeper dimension to a story that is often told from an ethnocentric point of view. Women who cannot afford healthcare or the economic burden of caring for a sickly child are often harshly judged (Cliff & Noormahomed; Scheper-Hughes). And while at first glance their behaviour may seem callous and uncaring, without taking the time to look a bit deeper, we do these women an immense injustice (Scheper-Hughes).
Conclusion
Although it may be tempting to fall into the trap of ‘victim blaming’ when one looks at malnourished children in poverty stricken areas, this does not address the real issues at hand (Cliff & Noormahomed; Scheper-Hughes). Instead of reprimanding a mother for not taking better care of her children, we would be better off taking the time to examine the wider socio-economical factors that influence their ability to care for their children (Scheper-Hughes). A mother may be willing to take proper care of her children, without having the means to. Being able to tell the difference between unwilling and unable is the only way to do these women justice (Cliff & Noormahomed; Scheper-Hughes).
References:
• Cliff, J. & Noormahomed, A.R. 1993 ‘The Impact of War On Children’s Health in Mozambique’ in Soc. Sci. Med. 36 (7)
• Scheper-Hughes, N. 1984 ‘Infant Mortality and Infant Care: Cultural and Economic Constraints on Nurturing in Northeast Brazil’ In Soc. Sci. Med. 19 (5)
Introduction
In this essay I will demonstrate that the political economy in a country does indeed have an impact on the health of the children living there. I will also briefly look at the extend of the economy’s influence on healthcare as a major contributing factor in ill health. To do this I will draw on the works of Cliff & Noormahomed and Scheper-Hughes. I begin by examining case studies in Mozambique and Brazil. Combined with a short analysis of data gained in these articles.
Discussion
The adverse effects of a crippled economy is a daily reality that literally millions of people must learn to contend with (Cliff & Noormahomed 1993). This reality may come to the world’s attention in war torn countries like Mozambique, but it is all to easy to forget that these are not the only places where the problem lies. Even in countries where there has been economic growth, there are still those left out in the cold (Scheper-Hughes 1984).
I will use the three main determinants in children’s health as mentioned by Cliff & Noormahomed in order to illustrate the influence of the political economy on children’s health. These are 1. Socio-economic conditions; 2.Women’s health; 3. Access to health care services. Socio-economic conditions have the most direct influence of the three (Scheper-Hughes). Economical problems quickly translate into financial problems for poor families (Cliff & Noormahomed; Scheper-Hughes). Families are no longer able to afford enough food to meet their basis calorific needs, this leads to malnutrition and as a result growth faltering among children (Cliff& Noormahomed; Scheper-Hughes). This will also adversely effect the health of mothers, leaving them weakened and unable to render sufficient care. In Mozambique the war significantly reduces the amount of time that mother’s have to spend with their children. The reduced family income means more time spent looking for additional income in urban areas and increased travelling time in rural ones. The unstable climate of the country has led to hospitals becoming unsafe as well as making it almost impossible for mobile units to operate. Immunisations have dropped, leaving a generation of children vulnerable to diseases that could have been prevented (Cliff & Noormahomed).
In Brazil, the body imagery used by mothers in the rural shantytown closely mimics the reality of the larger society they inhabit. Mothers see themselves as unfit to produce anything of value when unable to produce milk to feed their child. They replicate social stratification, using words usually linked to a particular class to characterise their children. There are even cases of so called “selective neglect” where mothers neglect babies that they believe are weak to such an extend that they eventually die (Scheper-Hughes). Monetary constraints on these mother’s capacity to raise happy, healthy children adds a deeper dimension to a story that is often told from an ethnocentric point of view. Women who cannot afford healthcare or the economic burden of caring for a sickly child are often harshly judged (Cliff & Noormahomed; Scheper-Hughes). And while at first glance their behaviour may seem callous and uncaring, without taking the time to look a bit deeper, we do these women an immense injustice (Scheper-Hughes).
Conclusion
Although it may be tempting to fall into the trap of ‘victim blaming’ when one looks at malnourished children in poverty stricken areas, this does not address the real issues at hand (Cliff & Noormahomed; Scheper-Hughes). Instead of reprimanding a mother for not taking better care of her children, we would be better off taking the time to examine the wider socio-economical factors that influence their ability to care for their children (Scheper-Hughes). A mother may be willing to take proper care of her children, without having the means to. Being able to tell the difference between unwilling and unable is the only way to do these women justice (Cliff & Noormahomed; Scheper-Hughes).
References:
• Cliff, J. & Noormahomed, A.R. 1993 ‘The Impact of War On Children’s Health in Mozambique’ in Soc. Sci. Med. 36 (7)
• Scheper-Hughes, N. 1984 ‘Infant Mortality and Infant Care: Cultural and Economic Constraints on Nurturing in Northeast Brazil’ In Soc. Sci. Med. 19 (5)
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