INDEPENDENCE SHONA NOVELS and SHORT STORIES By
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DEVIANCE AND MORALISATION AS PORTRAYED IN SELECTED POST- INDEPENDENCE SHONA NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES By WELLINGTON WASOSA Submitted in accordance to the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY in the subject of AFRICAN LANGUAGES at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA PROMOTER: PROFESSOR D.E.MUTASA CO-PROMOTER: PROFESSOR I.MUWATI NOVEMBER 2014 DECLARATION Student Number 5082-612-3 I, Wellington Wasosa, declare that Deviance and Moralisation in Selected Post- Independence Shona Novels and Short Stories is my work and that the sources used or quoted have been indicated by means of complete references. Signature: _______________________ Date: 18 February 2015 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are a number of individuals and institutions I salute for their worthwhile contributions in the process of undertaking the research. First and foremost, my sincere gratitude goes to my supervisors Professor D.E.Mutasa and Professor I. Muwati for their constructive criticism and encouragement especially when the chips were down throughout the entire period of undertaking this research. I also owe my gratitude to the University of South Africa for granting me a bursary that enabled me to pursue this research. I am also indebted to current and former colleagues at Great Zimbabwe University in the Departments of African Languages and Literature, Curriculum Studies and Sociology for the support which came in various forms including engaging in intuitive deliberations and being selfless in providing helpful literature since the period of inception of the proposal. The same gratitude goes to some colleagues in the Department of African Languages and Literature at the University of Zimbabwe. I cannot also forget my literature students at Great Zimbabwe University, some authors of the literary works and other interviewees for the insightful discussions I had with them. Special mention also goes to my wife, children, father and mother as well as siblings Munyaradzi, the late Washington, Cuthbert and Winfildah for their unwavering support and different kinds of support they rendered as I undertook the research. ii DEDICATION To my wife Irene, children Tinevimbo, Anesu Washington and Rukudzo as well as to the memory of my beloved mother Scholastica Wasosa. iii ABSTRACT This thesis is an exegesis of the portrayal of deviance in selected post-independence Shona fictional works. The analysis is done within the context of moralisation in Shona literature. The forms of deviant behaviour discussed include prostitution, homosexuality, crime and violence and negligence of duty within families. The fictional works are Mapenzi (1999), Totanga Patsva (2003), Ndozviudza Aniko? (2006), Ndafa Here? (2008), and Makaitei? (2008). All the fictional works are set during the period of the Zimbabwe Crisis and this becomes the context of the criticism of the manner in which deviance is handled by the writers. Particular attention is paid on the causes and solutions to deviance, images of deviants and the implications of such images in attempting to understand the realities of deviant behaviour. The research adopts an eclectic approach through a combination of literary and sociological theories to unpack issues concerning the litigious subject of deviance. The research fully acknowledges that deviance is a fluid and controversial concept as it varies with cultural frameworks and historical periods of certain societies. Thus the research has endeavoured to locate deviance with the ambit of Shona existential philosophy and the period of the Zimbabwe crisis. The research advances the argument that no human being is inherently deviant but there are certain circumstances and eventualities that are responsible for the development of such a personality. Therefore deviance herein is viewed as a response to the situation and in the case of this research it is the crisis which then is responsible for nurturing the people into deviance. In most of the situations, deviance is shown to be essentially a survival strategy by those who engage in it. Prostitution, homosexuality and crime have been shown to be largely economic necessities as the collapsing economy during the period of the crisis came with amorphous challenges and people resorted to anti-social behaviour in an attempt to live contenting lives. With regards to prostitution, homosexuality and crime, the writers have to a larger extent been able to contextualise deviance in terms of the crisis although Mabasa has been shown to display some ambivalence in his treatment of prostitutes in Mapenzi and Ndafa Here? There are instances he castigates prostitutes as social renegades which somehow weakens his vision. Apart from this, it has also been argued that deviant behaviour can be a result of the frustrations people face as they battle the vagaries of life. Violence and negligence of duty within families is argued to be a consequence of the frustrations from the poverty brought by the crisis and the movement into the diaspora as this has its own challenges that disempower people to carry out their duties as sanctioned by culture. Also, the research advances the argument that oral literature continues to impact on written literature and one such area is that of moralisation which continues to be a major priority of the writers. Except for the authors of the short stories in Totanga Patsva, moralisation on issues to do with deviance has been done in an enlightening way as the writers unearth the underlying causes of deviant behaviour and these are found in society and not individuals. The writers of the short stories have shown to be largely influenced by feminism and erroneously blame male deviants for the problems faced by women instead of explaining men`s behaviour in the context colonialism and neo- colonialism which brought various challenges related to gender relations in Africa not experienced hitherto. The direction in terms of qualitative development which Shona literature is taking in post-independence era is positive as the writers are shown to be tackling sensitive political, social and economic issues and their impact on the human condition. iv KEY WORDS Deviance, moralisation, post-independence, Shona Fiction, Shona culture, sociology, oral literature, Zimbabwe Crisis, ubuntu/unhu v TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration i Acknowledgements ii Dedication iii Abstract iv Key Words v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Preamble 1 1.2 Statement of Purpose 8 1.3 Aim of Study 10 1.3.1 Research Objectives 11 1.3.2 Research Questions 11 1.4 Significance of Research 12 1.5 Scope of Study 13 1.6 Conclusion 13 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2. 0 Introduction 15 2.1 Prostitution and Homosexuality as Sexual Deviance 15 2.1.1 Review of Works on Prostitution 15 2.1.2 Review of Works on Homosexuality 23 2.2 Crime as Deviance 26 2.3 Family Violence and Negligence of Duty in as Deviance 31 2.4 Critics on Deviance in Zimbabwean Literature and the Post-Independence Crisis 35 2.5 Critics on Oral-Literacy Link and Moralisation in African Literature 49 2.6 Conclusion 53 CHAPTER 3: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 3.0 Introduction 55 3.1 Literary Theories 56 3.1.1 Afrocentricity 56 3.1.2 Africana Womanism 66 vi 3.1.3 Marxist Literary Theory 67 3.2 Sociological Theories 72 3.2.1 The Conflict Theory 72 3.2.2 The Labelling Theory 75 3.2.3 The Functionalist Theory 78 3.3 Conclusion 79 CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 4.0 Introduction 82 4.1 Definition and Characteristics of Qualitative Research 83 4.1.1 Definition of Qualitative Research 83 4.1.2 Characteristics of Qualitative Research 88 4.2 Data Gathering Techniques 91 4.2.1 Sampling 92 4.2.2 Interviews 94 4.2.2.1 Definition of Interview 94 4.2.2.2 Types of Interviews 95 4.2.2.3 Advantages and Challenges of Using Interviews 98 4.2.3 Questionnaires 99 4.2.3.1 Definition and Types of Questionnaires 100 4.2.3.2 Advantages and Challenges of Using Questionnaires 101 4.2.4 Content Analysis Technique 102 4.3 Conclusion 103 CHAPTER 5: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 5.0 Novels and Interviewees’ perspectives 105 5.1 Introduction 105 5.2 The Zimbabwe Crisis as Context of Deviant Behaviour 106 5.3 Data Generated from Fictional Works 113 vii 5.4 Prostitution as Reflected in the Selected Novels 119 5.4.1 Images of Prostitutes as Victims of the Crisis in Mapenzi 121 5.4.2 Images of Prostitutes as Victims of the Crisis in Ndozviudza Aniko? 126 5.4.3 Images of Prostitutes as Victims of the Crisis in Ndafa Here? 135 5.4.4 Problematic Handling of Prostitution in Mapenzi and Ndafa Here? 138 5.4.5 Critique of the Authors` vision on Prostitution 176 5.5 Homosexuality as Deviance: Engaging Mapenzi and Makaitei? 149 5.6 Crime as Deviance in Mapenzi, Ndozviudza Aniko? and Ndafa Here? 156 5.6.1 Crime in Mapenzi 158 5.6.2 Crime in Ndozviudza Aniko? 163 5.6.3 Crime in Ndafa Here? 172 5.6.4 Critique of the Authors` vision on Crime 176 5.7 Family Violence and Negligence of Duty by Family Members as Deviance In Selected Works 178 5.7.1 Violent and Negligent Husbands in Mapenzi 179 5.7.2 Violent and Negligent Husbands in Ndafa Here? 184 5.7.3 Violent and Negligent Husbands in Makaitei? 188 5.7.4 Husband Promiscuity and HIV/AIDS in Totanga Patsva 192 5.7.5 Problematic Portrayal of the Father Figure and the Spread of HIV/AIDS in Totanga Patsva 198 5.7.6 Violent and Negligent Wives 214 5.7.7 Deviance by in-laws in Mapenzi 216 5.7.8 Deviance by in-laws in Ndafa Here? 219 5.7.9 Deviance by in-laws in Makaitei? 227 5.7.10 Deviance by Children in Mapenzi 228 5.7.11 Deviance by Children in Ndafa Here? 232 5.7.12 Deviance by Children in Makaitei? 233 viii 5.8 Oral-Literacy Link: Moralisation and its Impact on the Vision of the Writers 240 5.9 Conclusion 248 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION 6.0 Introduction 251 6.1 Research Findings 251 6.2 Recommendations 258 REFERENCES 259 APPENDICES 277 ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Preamble The concept of deviance is an issue which is highly contentious as its meaning varies with cultural settings, national ideologies and even individuals.