ews2601 assignment 3

N Cox - 50906755 EWS2601 Assignment 3 809549

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Declaration:

I hereby declare that this assignment is my own work and that all

sources have been acknowledged by appropriate references.

Theme One

Activity 1

Aspects that are crucial to my identity:

1. Christian

2. Female

3. Artist

4. English

5. White

Aspects of a friend belonging to the same group as me:

1. Mother

2. Wife

3. White

4. Female

5. Agnostic

Aspects of a friend belonging to a different group:

1. Zulu

2. Female

3. Black

4. Sister

5. Student


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The choice of putting Christian at the top of my list is because I am a believer

and my faith is the most important thing to me. Neither my friend from the

same group nor my other friend from a different one felt the necessity to state

their religion categorically.

The agnostic does not believe it’s a main factor in her day to day life, and the

Zulu believes that her title as a Zulu covers all her beliefs. Each of us chose to

list our genders, but the level of importance was different for each of us as the

second listed shows that she is a mother and wife, which obviously prelude

her gender whereas the last listed and myself are not married and have no

children and thus have to put forth our gender higher on the list.

While I believe that my profession as an artist is a very important part of my

identity, my married friend shows that her position as a mother far surpasses

that of a career, while my Zulu friend lists her student self as the least

important thing on her list. We all have very different ideas of our identities,

but all state gender as one of the most important things. Be it a wife, mother,

sister or just stating that one is female; we needed to make that aspect

apparent. Perhaps the reason is that gender is related to the roles and identity

that are attached to a certain physical appearance and so in stating your

gender, you’re able to show those roles and appearance without calling them

into question. However, when one brings in cultural factors, these aspects of

identity can change in context. The greatest difference between my group

listed and the group that is not the same, is the aspect of race. People seem to

find their race a very important, if not the most important aspect of their

identity, and in most cases, people identify more strongly with their own

ethnic or race group. Only Study Guide for EWS2601 (2010)


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Activity 2

When is adornment used to meet the following purposes?

1. To separate group members from non-members:

In the Cameroon, the Bafia people believe that they need to scar themselves

in order to set themselves apart from beasts such as chimpanzees or pigs. The

method is called “scarification” and there are specific marks one must have in

order to be fully recognised in their culture.

Photographer unknown, courtesy of Allen F. Roberts and the Central

Archives of the White Fathers (Missionaries of Our Lady of Africa), Rome.

2. To place the individual in a gender category:

In The Oxford Encyclopaedia of Women in World History, Judith Butler tells

genders. According to Mamma’s and Pappa’s Mag,

“Clothing is also an important medium of ocio-cultural expression; a form

of communication. It sends all kinds of messages: who we are, who we

want to be and where we come from. It also sends out messages about our

age, gender, religious beliefs, cultural beliefs, social status, artistic

tastes and political inclinations.” (2013)

In India, dress clearly distinguishes gender through a variety of means. These

include major differences in garment form; the restriction of most of men’s

dress to sombre and neutral colours—especially since contact with colonial

dress norms; using rich color, texture, or surface design on every aspect of a

women’s clothing; and restriction of decorative jewelry to women.

http://traffictetris.com/wp-content/images/2011/02/t72/06.jpg


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3. To indicate high status or rank:

People have always marked their bodies with signs of individuality, social status, and

cultural identity. Body art communicates a person's status in society; displays

accomplishments; and encodes memories, desires, and life histories.

In New Zealand, the Maori people have facial tattoos which are especially important

for high-born men of chiefly rank.

http://www.tattoo-designs-tips.com/images/maori-tattoos-Maori-tattoo.jpg

4. To control sexual Activity:

In the Cameroon, in order to make them look less sexually appealing, young girls

undergo a procedure called “breast ironing”.

Breast Ironing is the act of pounding and massaging of a girls breast using hard or

heated objects like stones, pistols and special seed fruits to flatten the breast for them

to disappear.

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LCSYvNr6HdM/0.jpg


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5. To enhance role performance and give the individual a sense of identity.

The otaku subculture carries a certain aesthetic in their style and dress. In the attire

worn by an otaku, the higher rank they gain from their peers. When an otaku appears

more enthusiastic about anime and Japan, then more otaku accept the person and

rank them as a leader. The role performance expresses their attitude when wearing

otaku fashion. Most otaku are considered “nerds” in society, but when wearing more

anime related clothing and Japanese items the more confident they become within

their everyday lives.

http://www.mangaspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Otaku.jpg


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Activity 3

• To restrict benefits from mining activities in the area of the Bafokeng

chiefdom only to its members is not an equitable endeavour. Firstly, as

mentioned in the extract, there is no formal definition as to who the Bafokeng

are, and so the benefits could very well be distributed to undeserving persons.

These benefits should be shared between the South African Mining industry

in order to create more jobs as well as being put back into the environment as

a restoration of lands mined. The Bafokeng chiefdom does not rely entirely

on their land and the mining benefits aren’t their only source of income, as

such their claim over the profit made from mining in the area they claim to be

theirs is not entirely justified.

• Subnational culture is the identity mobilised to gain access to the rights and

privileges mentioned in the extract.

• The Bafokeng have leveraged their cultural difference to distinguish

themselves in the global market, Oomen, supports his viewpoint

‘In order to successfully pursue its goal of being a major player in the global

commodities market, the Bafokeng have adopted conventional corporate

strategies and outlooks. As a community committed to perpetuating non‐

democratic forms of governance, the Bafokeng Nation has also clung to its

status as a chieftainship, communal land administrator, and patriarchal

society… There is a cultural patina to Royal Bafokeng Holdings that, despite

Mokgatlha’s comments about the drawbacks of being a communal investor,

lends it an aura of uniqueness, potential, and vision.

…Bafokeng Inc., in fact, relies crucially on the simultaneous pursuit of

tradition and modernity, the communal and the private,the local context and

the global market place (p.157)

Oomen quotes from Chanock, ‘Cultures like brands must essentialise, and

successful and sustainable cultures are those, which brand best’

Oomen, 2005, p.106.

We should look at Sharp’s 5 main points in his analysis of the so-called

retraditionalisation process in South Africa and how they relate to the Bafokeng

Chiefdom.


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Firstly, people are often captivated, if only briefly by a characterisation of

themselves in terms of a cultural identity, especially when it is associated with

apparent rights. The Bafokeng people are caught up in the benefits being offered to

their chiefdom from the mining resources on their land.

Secondly, a representation of cultural identity and rights in such a way not only

imposes limitations, but also offers benefits. The government has already brought up

the issue of equitable division of the profits among the Bafokeng people. The elite

Bafokeng people use the notion of a ‘traditional past’ in order for the benefits to fall

exclusively to a limited number of people in the chiefdom.

Thirdly, people are often locked into a single identity whereas, particularly under

challenging conditions, the need the freedom to be flexible. At the time that the

extract was printed, there was no formal definition as to who the Bafokeng people

really are, or what qualifies one to become part of their chiefdom. If the elites were

to draw a boundary, who would qualify and who would not? What would this do to

their other resources?

Fourthly the notion that clearly demarcated cultural identities have persisted

unchanged though to the present is generated not only by the people concerned, but

also by their helpers and advisors. The South African Government is contesting that

being a Mofokeng first and foremost is part of the chiefdom and have advised the

sharing of profits amongst a wider group of people.

Fifthly, in a dimension where people do, under certain circumstances, see themselves

as part of one or another culture that is clearly demarcated, self-contained and

harmonious, but do not see themselves in this way only. The chief, not only styles

himself as leader and king to the traditional tribe, but takes on the persona of a CEO,

leading a multi-faceted business corporation.


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Activity 4

• Williams (2008:1-2) comments that in the past, South African Authorities had

been aware of hostility towards foreigners. This was confirmed by Sichone

(2003) who noted that some of the immigrants who participated in his study

did not live in harmony with the South Africans around them and that many

local people resented the presence of foreigners… mainly because they

regarded them as competing for various resources.

There is a constant struggle to find work in South Africa, and the local people

believe that if a foreigner is placed in a position, that foreigner has robbed

employment from a South African.

• Foreigners should not be sent back to their countries of origin by our

government. Foreigners in our midst are entitled to the support and defence of

our law and constitution, Williams (2008: 2-3). Furthermore, some foreigners

have gained citizenship to our country because their specialised skill fills a

certain need that local South Africans are not supplying.

• I cannot define any specific limit on immigration, beyond that of employment

being offered first to South Africans, before filling positions with foreign

people.

• In my opinion, if an opportunity of employment should arise in a situation

where a South African cannot fill it, it should only then be offered to

immigrants.

• I don’t believe that South Africa’s resources are being exhausted by the

immigrants mentioned in the extract, as they have come to South Africa to

work on, and live off our land. It’s a mutual relationship of give-and-take and

they are ensuring the smooth running of certain resources in the country.


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Bibliography

• Cook, S. (2011), “The Business of Being Bafokeng: the Corporatization of a

Tribal Authority in South Africa”, Current Anthropology, 52(3),(pp.151‐

159).

• Demello, M Encyclopedia of body adornment ABC-CLIO, 2007 –

• Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East Facts On File,

Incorporated Infobase Publishing, 2009

• Engaging With Society: Meeting the challenges of a changing world. Only

Study Guide for EWS2601University of South Africa, 2010

• Oomen, B (2005), MCtradition in the new South Africa: Commodified

Custom and Rights Talk with the Bafokeng and the Bapedi. In Beckman,

(Eds), Mobile people, Mobile Law: Expanding Legal Relations in a

Contracting World,(pp. 91‐107) Ashgate Publishers

• Pitt Rivers Museum Body Arts | Homepage

• http://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/bodyarts/index.php/permanent-body-

arts/scarification.html

• 2011 - The Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, England

• Smith, BG. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History: Oxford

University Press, 23 Jan 2008


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ews2601 assignment 3

Documents

different group

zulu friend

important aspect

race group

aspects of identity

ews2601 assignment

important things

married friend