DOCSLIB.ORG

ABSTRACT Randy Marfield, a RHETORICAL ANALYSIS of THE

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
ABSTRACT Randy Marfield, a RHETORICAL ANALYSIS of THE ABSTRACT Randy Marfield, A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE 1981 BELIZEAN CONSTITUTION: NATIONAL IDENTITY IN THE CONTEXT OF HISTORY, RACE AND LANGUAGE (Under the direction of Dr. Kirk St. Amant) Department of English, April 2016 Building upon a variety of approaches in postcolonial discourse, this project performs a rhetorical analysis of the 1981 Belizean Constitution through the features of race and written Standard English. It contends that neither race nor written Standard English are suitable and reliable constructs of national identity in Belize, as each feature perpetuates a particular interpretation of Belizean national identity as formulated in accordance with hidden undertones of colonial power that have influenced, and continue to influence, a vernacular understanding of national identity in Belize. Each feature is also suggestive of continued colonial practices that once deemed Belize a colony of Britain and colonized through the institutions of that era. A specific focus on race and written Standard English allows for a close, rhetorical analysis on the 1981 Belizean Constitution, introducing these features as variables in the act of misrecognition, invisibility and human agency affecting the different ethnic groups in the country. In considering race and written Standard English as rhetorical constructs, this project demonstrates the degree of psychological aggression by the British, and now the Belizean government, which was a common practice and feature Belize’s colonial past. Though a critical look at race and written Standard English in the 1981 Belizean Constitution might be problematic, it holds the promise of reconstructing national identity as it pertains to the constitutional recognition of different ethnic groups in Belize, allowing the discursive space to reopen a dialogue on what it means to be Belizean. A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE 1981 BELIZEAN CONSTITUTION: NATIONAL IDENTITY IN THE CONTEXT OF HISTORY, RACE AND LANGUAGE A Dissertation Presented To the Faculty of the Department of English East Carolina University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree in Rhetoric, Writing and Professional Communication Randy B. Marfield April, 2016 © 2016 Randy Bernard Marfield All rights reserved A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE 1981 BELIZEAN CONSTITUTION: NATIONAL IDENTITY IN THE CONTEXT OF HISTORY, RACE, AND LANGUAGE by Randy Marfield APPROVED BY: DISSERTATION CHAIR: _______________________________________________ Kirk St. Amant, Ph.D. COMMITTEE MEMBER: ______________________________________________ Michael Aceto, Ph.D. COMMITTEE MEMBER: ______________________________________________ Seodial Deena, Ph.D. COMMITTEE MEMBER: ______________________________________________ Wendy Sharer, Ph.D. ENGLISH DEPARTMENT CHAIR: ___________________________________ Don Palumbo, Ph.D. DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL: __________________________ Paul J. Gemperline, PhD DEDICATION To my family in Belize, from whom I have taken the most precious of things: time. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express deep and heartfelt appreciation of Kirk St. Amant whose patience with me throughout this long process has been tested. Whose levels of excitement, respect and involvement with this project matched my own. In him I saw the true spirit of academia, the dedication that can comes from one person’s belief and determination to change the world one step at a time, and one person at a time. Without him, my life as a PhD student and this dissertation would certainly not have been possible. I would like to thank my committee member Dr. Michael Aceto, whose passion as a Linguistics Professor and uncompromising dedication to fact and truth about the world, I will endeavor to follow from this point forward. I make this promise to him, that I will do my best to measure knowledge by experience and possibility, and not through theoretically fanciful styles that characterizes some spaces in academia. To Dr. Seodial Frank Deena I extend an offer of friendship. Frank has been with me as a respected professor and friend since I first came to East Carolina University in 2004 as an exchange student from Belize. He was a dedicated advisor between 2005 and 2007 while I worked towards a Master’s in Multicultural Literature. And now here, at the beginning of another phase of my academic career. Frank continues to dedicate himself to the cause of international students such as myself. As a fulfillment of Gay’s wishes, I hope the relationship between ECU’s Department of English and the University of Belize is maintained for years to come. To Dr. Wendy Sharer, whom I respect and admire greatly. As a feminist and the only woman on my committee, your input was invaluable. You too have seen me grow academically through the years at ECU. I feel fortunate to have met and learned from a person passionate and hopeful about the present and future. Finally, to my super friend in arms. My fellow Kung Fu Master in the battle to make sense of this world and questions authority. To the friend upon whom I can thoroughly rely. That saw me in pieces and brought me through whole. Dr. Alexis Poe Davis, how does one find the words? Table of Contents Title Page……………………………………………………………………………. i Copyright……………………………………………………………………………. ii Signature Page………………………………………………………………………. iii Dedication…………………………………………………………………………… iv Acknowledgment……………………………………………………………………. v Chapter One: Introduction…………………………………………………………… 1 Chapter Two: Method of Research Research Questions…………………………………………………… 11 Beginning the Research………………………………………………. 17 Theoretical Approaches to this Study………………………………… 23 Definition of Terms………………………………………………….... 31 Common Terms……………………………………………………….. 37 Proposed Outline/In Sum……………………………………………… 39 Chapter Three: Who’s Belizean History? Facing Gaps in the Narrative…………………………………………. 43 Reading Written History……………………………………………… 55 National Identity Written in the Margins……………………………... 63 Slavery “In Name”……………………………………………………. 80 Understanding the Connections between race, The Constitution and… 98 National Identity Chapter Four: Postcolonial Discourse and Belize Responses to Representations………………………………………….. 111 National Identity and being ethnic in Postcolonial Belize……………… 114 On being ethnic and being racial in Postcolonial Belize………………... 125 Understanding the Connections between National Identity and………... 134 Postcolonial Discourse in Belize Chapter Five: Race and Ethnic Invisibility in the Constitution Connecting the Concept of race to the Colonial……………………….. 142 ‘Race’ from the Ideology to the Constitution………………………….. 159 Where Constitutionality meets National Identity……………………… 168 Understanding the Connections between race, The Constitution and 174 National Identity Chapter Six: The Language, Identity and the Belizean Constitution On Standard English, Ethnic Languages and National Identity………….. 188 Responding to the influence of Standard English in Postcolonial Discourse 194 Colonial Documents, Standard English and Political Patterns in creating 204 National Identity Understanding the Connections between Standard English, the…………. 218 Constitution and National Identity Of Language as Symbolic Reminder……………………………………... 223 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………… 224 Chapter I INTRODUCTION The 1981 Belizean Constitution. It is a document that represents the source of Belizean political achievement in the country’s embattled history with the British Empire, and at the same time has the potential to be the source of Belize’s troubled state of national identity, reflecting the history, politics and language of Belize’s colonial past. Like the constitutions of other western and liberal countries, the 1981 Belizean Constitution provides the sociological venn- diagram, as it were, of socially connected parts logically encircling and representing multiple aspects of a democratically formed society: history, politics, law, and language to name a few. Each of these aspects, in their own right, contribute and struggle to claim, define and maintain the concept of a collective national identity. National identity can be perceived as what Foucault calls a “discursive formation”. From this, the purpose and function of national identity is to provide a sense of cohesion, of collectively sharing and socially accepting a distinct, relevant history, politics, and traditions forging commonalities that assert particular differences from other countries in the world. Where the political constitution of a people is concerned, national identity also reflects intellectual dimensions of that country’s politics, making the constitution relevant and sensitive to the sociopolitical history and social circumstances surrounding the document. The circumstances from which national identity is formed, from the histories of British colonial expansion, are particularly relevant in postcolonial societies; wherein lies the constitutional issue of forming a new and different national identity after independence has been declared. This dissertation focuses on this particular point in Belizean history, the moment of independence when the Constitution should mark Belizean national identity as unique, different and intellectually apart from English European culture, under which the country has been colonized for over two hundred years. Through looking at specific rhetorical features of the 1981 Belizean Constitution, this project hopes to illustrate the difficulty of separating from English European ideology presented as defining aspects of the Constitution. Edward Said (1993) argues in Culture
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Belize National Sustainable Development Report
    UNCSD – Belize National Sustainable Development Report Belize National Sustainable Development Report Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries, and Sustainable Development, Belize United Nations Department of Social and Economic Affairs (UNDESA) United Nations Development Program (UNDP) ____________________________________ INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS – www.idcbz.net Page | 1 UNCSD – Belize National Sustainable Development Report TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Acronyms Acknowledgements 1.0. Belize Context……………………………………………………………………………………5 1.1 Geographical Location………………………………………………………………………5 1.2 Climate………………………………………………………………………………………..5 1.3 Hydrology……………………………………………………………………………………..6 1.4 Population…………………………………………………………………………………….6 1.5 Political Context……………………………………………………………………………...7 1.6 Economy……………………………………………………………………………………...7 2.0 Background and Approach………………………………………………………………………….7 3.0 Policy and Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development………………………………8 3.1 National Level………………………………………………………………………………..8 3.2 Multi-Lateral Agreements…………………………………………………………………...9 4.0 Progress to Date in Sustainable Development…………………………………………………..10 5.0 Challenges to Sustainable Development…………………………………………………………23 5.1 Environmental and Social Vulnerabilities………………………………………………..23 5.2 Natural Disasters…………………………………………………………………………...23 5.3 Climate Change…………………………………………………………………………….23 5.4 Economic Vulnerability…………………………………………………………………….24 5.5 Policy and Institutional Challenges……………………………………………………….24 6.0 Opportunities for Sustainable Development……………………………………………………..26
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of the Garifuna of Belize's Toledo District Alexander Gough
    Indigenous identity in a contested land: A study of the Garifuna of Belize’s Toledo district Alexander Gough This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2018 Lancaster University Law School 1 Declaration This thesis has not been submitted in support of an application for another degree at this or any other university. It is the result of my own work and includes nothing that is the outcome of work done in collaboration except where specifically indicated. Many of the ideas in this thesis were the product of discussion with my supervisors. Alexander Gough, Lancaster University 21st September 2018 2 Abstract The past fifty years has seen a significant shift in the recognition of indigenous peoples within international law. Once conceptualised as the antithesis to European identity, which in turn facilitated colonial ambitions, the recognition of indigenous identity and responding to indigenous peoples’ demands is now a well-established norm within the international legal system. Furthermore, the recognition of this identity can lead to benefits, such as a stake in controlling valuable resources. However, gaining tangible indigenous recognition remains inherently complex. A key reason for this complexity is that gaining successful recognition as being indigenous is highly dependent upon specific regional, national and local circumstances. Belize is an example of a State whose colonial and post-colonial geographies continue to collide, most notably in its southernmost Toledo district. Aside from remaining the subject of a continued territorial claim from the Republic of Guatemala, in recent years Toledo has also been the battleground for the globally renowned indigenous Maya land rights case.
    [Show full text]
  • Educating Belize: Challenges and Opportunities for the Future
    The University of Texas at Austin IC2 Institute Madison Weigand Dr. David Gibson UT Bridging Disciplines http://ic2.utexas.edu/ z EDUCATING BELIZE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE August 2015 BELIZE IC2 2 “Belize is paying a lot for education but getting little. More youth are outside the school system than in it and many fail to make the transition to the workforce. … Action is needed if Belize is not to lose a whole generation of youth.” - Inter-American Development Bank, “Challenges and Opportunities in the Belize Education Sector”, 2013 Belize: why we’re here Belize is a small nation in Central America, bordered to the north by Mexico, by Guatemala to the west and south, and by the Caribbean Sea to the east. Estimates of the national population vary from 340,000 – 360,0001, with population density averaging at 15 people per square kilometer2. In consideration of these low figures, Belize is often the forgotten nation of the Caribbean region. The small country, approximately the size of the state of Massachusetts, is occasionally omitted on regional maps and periodically has its sovereignty threatened by threats of invasion from the neighboring Guatemalan government (Rodriguez-Boetsch 6). In spite of its status as a sidelined nation, Belize is a haven of natural resources that have long been underestimated and underutilized. The country contains a broad spectrum of ecosystems and environments that lend themselves well to agricultural, fishing, and logging industries, as well as tourism—particularly ecotourism—contributing to the Belizean economy’s heavy dependence upon primary resource extraction and international tourism and trade.
    [Show full text]
  • The Case for a Belizean Pan-Africanism
    The Case for a Belizean Pan-Africanism by Kurt B. Young, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Political Science & African American Studies University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida [email protected] Abstract This essay is an analysis of Pan-Africanism in the Central American country of Belize. One of the many significant products of W.E.B. DuBois’s now famous utterance that “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line” has been the unending commitment to document the reality of the color line throughout the various regions of the African Diaspora. Thus, nearly a century after his speech at the First Pan-African Congress, this effort has produced a corpus of works on Pan-Africanism that capture the global dimensions of the Pan- African Movement. However, the literature on Pan-Africanism since has been and remains fixed on the Caribbean Islands, North America and most certainly Africa. This tendency is justifiable given the famous contributions of the many Pan-African freedom fighters and the formations hailing from these regions. But this has been at a cost. There remains significant portions of the African Diaspora whose place in and contributions to the advancement of Pan-Africanism has been glossed over or fully neglected. The subject of this paper is to introduce Belize as one of the neglected yet prolific fronts in the Pan-African phenomenon. Thus this essay utilizes a Pan- African nationalist theoretical framework that captures the place of Belize in the African Diaspora, with an emphasis on 1) identifying elements of Pan-Africanism based on a redefinition of the concept and 2) applying them in a way that illustrates the Pan-African tradition in Belize.
    [Show full text]
  • Download PDF File
    Friday, May 21, 2021 AMANDALABelize Page 1 NO. 3462 BELIZE CITY, FRIDAY, MAY 21, 2021 (36 PAGES) $1.50 Borders Gruesome daylight opened for city murder tourists only BELIZE CITY, Thurs. May of less than 24 hours. Last night, 20, 2021 Marquin Drury was fatally wounded At high noon today, a 19- in a drive-by shooting. year-old was shot multiple Unconfirmed reports are that times and left for dead in the Castillo was pursued by his assailant, Fabers Road Extension area. then executed in cold blood near a Stephan Castillo, the mechanic shop on Fabers Road, not victim of this most recent far from the police sub-station in that Belize City murder, is the area. second person to be shot to death in the city within a span Please turn toPage 29 Unions stage funeral procession for corruption BELIZE CITY, Wed. May 19, 2021 On Tuesday, May 18, members of the Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU) and the Public Service Union (PSU) staged mock funeral BELIZE CITY, Thurs. May 20, 2021 processions — a symbolic form of Today Cabinet released an update protest that is a marked departure on matters that were discussed and from the blockades that had been set decisions that were made during its up on the previous day to prevent the regular session meeting, which took flow of traffic on roads and highways place on May 18, 2021. In that press countrywide. They marched along the release, the public was informed that streets, carrying a coffin, as they pretended to engage in funeral rites Please turn toPage 30 Please turn toPage 31 PM replies PGIA employees Belize seeks extension to unions stage walkout for bond payment BELIZE CITY.
    [Show full text]
  • Biocultural Factors in School Achievement for Mopan Children in Belize
    DEBORAH L. CROOKS / UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY Biocultural Factors in School Achievement for Mopan Children in Belize We were once much smarter people. into traditional statistical models of biological anthro- —Maya caretaker at archaeological site, Toledo District, Belize pological research is difficult because of the distinctly different nature of the two kinds of data produced. One MOPAN MAYA CHILDREN of San Antonio, Toledo, Be- approach to this problem is discussed by William lize, face a number of challenges to their success in Dressier (1995), who advocates using ethnography up school. Mayan ethnicity, language, and traditional eco- front in the research design to construct culturally nomic strategies are rendered disadvantageous for meaningful variables that can then be quantified for school achievement by historical, social, cultural, and testing. Resulting models are able to account for local economic forces. Statistics on poverty and child growth levels of meaning within the framework of "scientific" indicate that Mayan children are poorer and more research. poorly nourished than other Belizean children, and they Another approach is that taken by Thomas Leather- do less well on national achievement exams. In addi- man (in press) and Brooke Thomas (in press). This po- tion, they attend school structured on the British model litical-economic approach uses quantitative measures and taught in English. In the past, biocultural ap- of biological outcome but contextualizes the numbers proaches might model a causal pathway from poverty to by focusing "upstream" on conditions that produce nutritional status to cognitive development to school stress and either facilitate or constrain coping re- achievement. But the interrelationships among poverty, sponses.
    [Show full text]
  • ECFG-Belize-2020R.Pdf
    ECFG: Central America Central ECFG: About this Guide This guide is designed to prepare you to deploy to culturally complex environments and achieve mission objectives. The fundamental information contained within will help you understand the cultural dimension of your assigned location and gain skills necessary for success (Photo: US Marine shows members of Belize Defense Force how to load ammunition into weapons). The guide consists of 2 E parts: CFG Part 1 “Culture General” provides the foundational knowledge you need to operate effectively in any global environment with a focus on Central America (CENTAM). Part 2 “Culture Specific” describes unique cultural features of Belize Belizean society. It applies culture-general concepts to help increase your knowledge of your assigned deployment location. This section is designed to complement other pre- deployment training (Photo: USAF medic checks a Belizean patient’s vision during a medical readiness event). For further information, visit the Air Force Culture and Language Center (AFCLC) website at www.airuniversity.af.edu/AFCLC/ or contact the AFCLC Region Team at [email protected]. Disclaimer: All text is the property of the AFCLC and may not be modified by a change in title, content, or labeling. It may be reproduced in its current format with the express permission of the AFCLC. All photography is provided as a courtesy of the US government, Wikimedia, and other sources. GENERAL CULTURE PART 1 – CULTURE GENERAL What is Culture? Fundamental to all aspects of human existence, culture shapes the way humans view life and functions as a tool we use to adapt to our social and physical environments.
    [Show full text]
  • Download PDF File
    Tuesday, April 13, 2021 AMANDALABelize Page 1 NO. 3451 BELIZE CITY, TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2021 (20 PAGES) $1.00 PM Briceño presents lean budget “The National Budget is really a Budget about all the people — working people and business people 55 schools -– because from its birth to its burial, the National Budget touches all Belizeans in some way or the reopened other.” — Prime Minister Briceño BELMOPAN, Mon. Apr. 12, 2021 Representatives. His budget, titled On Friday, the Draft Estimates of “Today’s Sacrifice: Tomorrow’s Revenues and Expenditure for the Triumph!” outlined his government’s Fiscal Year 2021-2022 was goals to address the economic crisis presented by Prime Minister John Briceño. The PM delivered the Please turn toPage 19 national budget using a teleprompter, a first for the House of UDP discontinues UDP walks out after Julius claim against calls Patrick “boy” Mayor Wagner BELIZE CITY, Mon. Apr. 12, 2021 In late March, Cabinet approved the phased reopening of schools across the country, starting Monday, April 12, 2021. A memo issued by the CEO in the Ministry of Education announced that schools would be opened in two BELIZE CITY, Mon. Apr. 12, 2021 groups, with the first group reopening BELMOPAN, Fri. Apr. 9, 2021 the House of Representatives meeting The United Democratic Party has their classrooms on April 12. It has The Leader of the Opposition, at which this year’s budget was decided to withdraw its Supreme been one year since schools shuttered Hon. Patrick Faber, staged an opposition walkout on Friday from Please turn toPage 18 Please turn toPage 19 Please turn toPage 4 Siblings hit by truck, 11-year-old girl dies MOHW investigating post- vaccination death by Dayne Guy SANTA FAMILIA, Cayo, (See story on page 2) Mon.
    [Show full text]
  • Coldblooded Murder in Santa Elena Sat
    Tuesday, April 27, 2021 AMANDALABelize Page 1 BELIZE CITY, TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021 (20 PAGES) $1.00 T NO. 3455eachers str ike “…tell them to come to the table, bring some concrete solutions to the issues that we are having right now. Come to us seriously, bring the draft to us, and then we can talk,” Elena Smith, the BNTU’s national president, said. BELIZE CITY, Mon. Apr. 26, 2021 Today marked the first day of strike Deputy PM Hyde action by the Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU). Teachers beseeches unions countrywide staged a walkout from classes at 11:30 a.m. today, just after “It’s better for us to do something delivering the morning lessons. They now and find out a year from now later gathered at the Marion Jones that maybe we went too far, than Sports Complex, where they began a for us to not do anything and six cavalcade through the streets of months down the road we rue the Belize City. day we never took the 10%.” The union members walked in Deputy PM Hyde warned. Please turn toPage 19 Unions punta on Independence Hill NTUCB stands Elena Smith, national President of the BNTU, broke into dance in front of the with Joint Unions National Assembly Building as budget debates continued for a second day. The NTUCB release urged GOB to enact 9 good governance reforms BELIZE CITY. Mon. Apr. 26, 2021 Late this evening the National Trade Union Congress of Belize issued a release calling on the Government of Belize and Joint BELMOPAN, Fri.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Language Use, Language Change and Innovation In
    LANGUAGE USE, LANGUAGE CHANGE AND INNOVATION IN NORTHERN BELIZE CONTACT SPANISH By OSMER EDER BALAM A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2016 1 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the guidance and support from many people, who have been instrumental since the inception of this seminal project on contact Spanish outcomes in Northern Belize. First and foremost, I am thankful to Dr. Mary Montavon and Prof. Usha Lakshmanan, who were of great inspiration to me at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Thank you for always believing in me and motivating me to pursue a PhD. This achievement is in many ways also yours, as your educational ideologies have profoundly influenced me as a researcher and educator. I am indebted to my committee members, whose guidance and feedback were integral to this project. In particular, I am thankful to my adviser Dr. Gillian Lord, whose energy and investment in my education and research were vital for the completion of this dissertation. I am also grateful to Dr. Ana de Prada Pérez, whose assistance in the statistical analyses was invaluable to this project. I am thankful to my other committee members, Dr. Benjamin Hebblethwaite, Dr. Ratree Wayland, and Dr. Brent Henderson, for their valuable and insighful comments and suggestions. I am also grateful to scholars who have directly or indirectly contributed to or inspired my work in Northern Belize. These researchers include: Usha Lakshmanan, Ad Backus, Jacqueline Toribio, Mark Sebba, Pieter Muysken, Penelope Gardner- Chloros, and Naomi Lapidus Shin.
    [Show full text]
  • EDUCATION and MULTI CULTURAL COHESION INBELIZE, 1931-1981 By
    EDUCATION AND MULTI CULTURAL COHESION INBELIZE, 1931-1981 by PETER RONALD HITCHEN BA (Hons) History For the award of DOCTOR of PHILOSOPHY of the UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL LANCASHIRE April 2002 ABSTRACT This thesis is concerned with the British neglect of education in Belize and the emergence of increased tensions between church and state, from the twin catalysts for social change of the 1931 hurricane and economic depression until independence in 1981. This conflict has revealed a contradictory web of power structures and their influence, through the medium of schools, on multi-cultural development. The fundamental argument is that despite a rhetoric- of-difference, a cohesive society was created in Belize rooted in the cultural values propagated through an often-contradictory church-state education system, and that Jesuit supremacy of Belizean education came too late to unsettle or exploit the grass-root forces of cultural synthesis. Racial conflict in Belize is more a matter of habitual rhetoric and superficial. The historiography of Belize falls broadly into two categories: Diplomatic and labour, nevertheless cultural and educational studies have developed most notably from Social Anthropology. An extensive literature review revealed that notwithstanding the emergence of a substantial historiography of education on the British Caribbean similar research has been neglected on Belize. Therefore, my own thesis fills a significant gap in the historiography of British Caribbean education. The PhD discusses the relationship between conflicting hierarchies within education and multi-cultural cohesion, not yet been fully attempted in any of the secondary literature. This is a proposition argued through substantial and original primary research, employing a mix of comparative empirical research and theoretical Sights influenced by historical sociologist Nigel Bolland to analyse the interactions of people at community level, the ubiquitous presence of the denominations, and political and hierarchical activities.
    [Show full text]
  • Domestic Violence and the Implications For
    ABSTRACT WITHIN AND BEYOND THE SCHOOL WALLS: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOLING by Elizabeth Joan Cardenas Domestic violence complemented by gendered inequalities impact both women and children. Research shows that although domestic violence is a global, prevalent social phenomenon which transcends class, race, and educational levels, this social monster and its impact have been relatively ignored in the realm of schooling. In this study, I problematize the issue of domestic violence by interrogating: How do the family and folk culture educate/miseducate children and adults about their gendered roles and responsibilities? How do schools reinforce the education/miseducation of these gendered roles and responsibilities? What can we learn about the effects of this education/ miseducation? What can schools do differently to bridge the gap between children and families who are exposed to domestic violence? This study introduces CAREPraxis as a possible framework for schools to implement an emancipatory reform. CAREPraxis calls for a re/definition of school leadership, home-school relationship, community involvement, and curriculum in order to improve the deficiency of relationality and criticality skills identified from the data sources on the issue of domestic violence. This study is etiological as well as political and is grounded in critical theory, particularly postcolonial theory and black women’s discourses, to explore the themes of representation, power, resistance, agency and identity. I interviewed six women, between ages 20 and 50, who were living or have lived in abusive relationships for two or more years. The two major questions asked were: What was it like when you were growing up? What have been your experiences with your intimate male partner with whom you live/lived.
    [Show full text]