Mourning Rituals and Practices in Contemporary South African Townships: a Phenomenological Study
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MOURNING RITUALS AND PRACTICES IN CONTEMPORARY SOUTH AFRICAN TOWNSHIPS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY T. H. S. SETSIBA A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree PhD in Community Psychology in the Department of Psychology, University of Zululand Supervisor: Prof. J. D. Thwala DECLARATION I TINY HAPPY SARAH SETSIBA declare that MOURNING RITUALS AND PRACTICES IN CONTEMPORARY SOUTH AFRICAN TOWNSHIPS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY is my own work and all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. Tiny Happy Sarah Setsiba Signature: I DEDICATION THIS WORK IS DEDICATED TO MY PARENTS, RATLALANA AND MAKHUDUGA WHO HAVE DEPARTED FROM THIS WORLD. THE PAIN FROM THESE LOSSES PAVED A WAY! ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to God, the creator of the Universe, the Most High, whose faithfulness has been my strength. How awesome! A thesis is rarely an effort of one person and the current is no exception. I am deeply indebted to all the people whose names appear below who have supported, guided and influenced me during the difficult time of producing this work Prof J D Thwala, my promoter for his valuable guidance, critical comments, insight, constant encouragement, supportive attitude and patience during the difficult time of producing this thesis Prof H S B Ngcobo for refining and giving the study the shape during its formative phase The participants for their time and willingness to share their experiences, perceptions and opinions My husband Dr Thabo, thank you for believing in me always and for the unwavering support. You have indeed become a very strong pillar throughout! My children, Phemelo and Dineo who wanted me to complete my studies and be with them. You have been the driving force behind the achievement of this work. Thank you for being the greatest of friends! My late parents, Ratlalana and Makhuduga Molwantwa. May your souls rest in peace! My brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces, my parents-in law, my relatives and all those who supported me in any respect during the completion of this project iii Dr Thomas Sengani at the Department of African Languages, Unisa for your scholarly spirit and your willingness to share your wealth of knowledge at all times. Dr Solly Seeletse and Mr Andy Kekana, thank you for the interest you have shown in this project and for your valuable inputs. iv ABSTRACT The ‘after tears’ party seems to be a popular occurrence in South African’s urban townships. This study is an exploratory investigation of the urban township communities’ experiences and the meaning of the ‘after tears’ party using a phenomenological approach. The available literature outlined the rituals and practices of various ethnic groups in South Africa and Africa performed in the event of the death of a loved one such as the slaughtering of the beast, the mourning dress, mourning period and the cleansing ceremonies. While some of the death rituals and practices are still adhered to in urban townships of South Africa, others are adapted and new practices have emerged. One such is the practice of the ‘after tears’ party. Within an African context, the dead are regarded as ancestors and they are treated with great respect as they are believed to have a special relationship with the living. Proper rites and ceremonies performed following the death of a loved one reflect this belief. Any deviation from the above could be perceived as a sign of disrespect for the ancestors and bad luck could befall anyone who does not adhere to the stipulated practices. The respondents in this study are South African township dwellers who do not practice strict traditional mourning rituals anymore. Individual respondents and focus groups were interviewed on their experiences and the meaning they attach to the practice of the ‘after tears’ party. Data was analyzed using thematic content analysis. Insights generated from the findings of the current study highlighted the significant perceptions, meanings and feelings about the ‘after tears’ parties. While it is perceived as a celebration, the important functions of this party were indicated as comforting and supporting the bereaved and helping them to cope with the impact of loss of a loved one. On the other hand others condemned the practice as totally disrespectful and that it is insensitive of the people to hold a party while other people are still in mourning. It hurts the bereaved and delays the chances of recovery from grief. The ‘after tears’ party can be an effective coping strategy if it was conducted in a more respectful manner. The respondents’ experiences of the ‘after tears’ party and the meaning attached to it could serve as guidelines to explore the psychological needs of the bereaved in urban societies. v Table of Contents Declaration i Dedication ii Acknowledgements iii Abstract v Table of Contents vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Theoretical Background to the Study 1 1.3 Motivation for the Study 5 1.4 Statement of the Problem 6 1.5 Aims and Objectives 7 1.5.1 Aim of the Study 7 1.5.2 Objectives of the Study 7 1.6 Research Questions 7 1.7 Significance of the Study 7 1.8 Chapter Layout 8 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 10 2.1 Introduction 10 2.2 Mourning the dead 11 2.3 Definition of Concepts 12 2.4 Mourning Rituals and Practices 14 2.4.1 A Historical Review 14 vi 2.5 Some Issues Relating to Mourning 16 2.6 Functions of Mourning Rituals 18 2.6.1 Making change manageable 18 2.6.2 Public Display of Grief 18 2.6.3 Therapeutic value to the bereaved 19 2.6.4 Construction of Community Identity 19 2.6.5 Purification of the mourners 20 2.7 African Grief Work 20 2.8 Performance of Grief Rituals in South African Rural Environments 21 2.8.1 The Beginning of Family Mourning 21 2.8.2 Community Mourning 24 2.8.3 The Burial 25 2.9 Development of Urban Black Townships in South Africa 28 2.10 Features of Urban Black Townships 29 2.11 Mourning Rituals in Urban Black Townships 33 2.12 Religion and Mourning Rituals 38 2.13 Social Support and Mourning 40 2.14 The ‘after tears’ party 40 2.15 Conclusion 42 CHAPTER 3 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 44 3.1 Introduction 44 3.2 Social Learning Theory: A Theoretical Review 44 3.3 Social Diffusion and Innovation in Social Learning Theory 46 3.4 Socio-Cultural Diffusion 47 3.5 Implication of Social Learning Theory to the current study 48 3.6 Conclusion 48 vii CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 49 4.1 Introduction 49 4.2 Research Design 49 4.2.1 Qualitative Research 50 4.3 Phenomenology as a Methodology 51 4.3.1 Rationale for using Phenomenology 53 4.3.2 Strengths and Limitations of Phenomenology 54 4.4 Study Validity 54 4.5 Sampling 56 4.5.1 Focus Groups 57 4.6 Research Procedure 58 4.6.1 Data Collection 58 4.6.2 Data Analysis 60 4.7 Ethical Considerations 62 4.8 Conclusion 63 CHAPTER 5 FINDINGS 64 5.1 Introduction 64 5.2 Description of Participants 64 5.3 Interpretation of Themes 65 5.3.1 Participants’ experiences of the ‘after tears’ party 65 5.3.2 The Perceptions of the ‘after tears’ parties 66 5.3.2.1 Gangsters and Taxi Drivers initiated the ‘after tears’ parties 66 5.3.2.2 ‘After tears’ is a celebration of someone’s death 66 5.3.2.3 Young people and the ‘after tears’ parties 67 5.3.2.4 The Elderly and the ‘after tears’ parties 68 5.3.2.5 The high incidence of death in urban areas 68 5.3.2.6 Past and Present funerals compared 68 5.3.2.7 Rural and Urban funerals compared 69 5.3.2.8 The ‘after tears’ party as an old practice 69 viii 5.3.3 The meaning attached to the ‘after tears’ parties 70 5.3.3.1 A coping strategy 70 5.3.3.2 Social support and comforting the bereaved families 70 5.3.3.3 A social gathering 71 5.3.3.4 Showing off social status and social identity 71 5.3.4 Feelings towards the ‘after tears’ parties 72 5.3.4.1 The ‘after tears’ parties are inappropriate 72 5.3.4.2 The ‘after tears’ parties show lack of respect 72 5.3.4.3 The ‘after tears’ parties hurt the bereaved 73 5.3.4.4 The ‘after tears’ parties defy teachings from home 74 5.3.4.5 Some people feel there is nothing wrong with the ‘after tears’ parties 74 5.3.5 The ‘after tears’ parties and culture 75 5.4 Conclusion 75 CHAPTER 6 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 76 6.1 Introduction 76 6.2 Discussion 76 6.2.1 Experiences of the ‘after tears’ party 76 6.2.2 The perceptions of the ‘after tears’ party 78 6.2.3 The meaning attached to the ‘after tears’ parties 80 6.2.4 Feelings towards the ‘after tears’ parties 82 6.3 Conclusion 84 6.4 Evaluation of the Study 84 6.4.1 Methods 84 6.4.2 Limitations of the Study 85 6.5 Recommendations for further research 86 6.6 Conclusion 86 References 88 ix APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 104 APPENDIX 2 105 APPENDIX 3 106 APPENDIX 4 107 x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction South Africa has many townships that originated from the country’s unique economic requirement for inexpensive migratory labor, and these townships were managed using brutal policing systems and British municipal administrative traditions (Bond, 2007).