Decolonial African-centred child-centric theorist Address: African Feminist Studies Department Room 4.08, H. Oppenheimer Bldg, Engineering Mall University of Cape Town Private, Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701
Background: In Africa, remnants of colonisation and the effects of coloniality have influenced ch... more Background: In Africa, remnants of colonisation and the effects of coloniality have influenced childhood in ways dissimilar to those in other parts of the world. Objectives: This article contests against universalised theorising of children, advocates for Afrocentric approaches to childhood studies on African children, and makes a case for Afrocentric pedagogy in the psychology of child sexual violence and childhood trauma. Methodology: The arguments in this article are informed by a rapid review of doctoral research on the history of violence in South Africa and developmental theory to understand how children make meaning of the experience of sexual violence-related trauma. Results: South Africa's history of colonisation and Apartheid significantly contributes to child outcomes. Decolonial thought and African-centered theorising must be applied to childhood studies in Africa for a contextual understanding of African childhoods. They must centre on the needs and worldviews of Africans. Conclusion: Education is an instrument of enculturation; therefore, pedagogy should reflect the people it studies. The methods and practice in teaching childhood studies in psychology in Africa must humanise both children and professionals. Contribution: The article addresses the questions of relevance in childhood studies in Africa and advances recommendations for how academics and practitioners in childhood sexual violence and psychology should work with complex knowledge in childhood studies pedagogy.
This thesis presents the narratives of 16 children between the ages of 9 and 11 years who experie... more This thesis presents the narratives of 16 children between the ages of 9 and 11 years who experienced sexual violence and trauma, within poly-victimisation, and live in South African townships. The study aimed to determine and provide an in-depth understanding of how children make sense of experienced sexual violence and trauma through African-centred and child-centric theorising. The intersectional oppressions of race, class, gender, and age undergirded the framework with feminism as a salient theme. The framework offered a perspective for the reshaping of contextual and developmentally appropriate psychological trauma interventions. The study positioned children as knowledge producers who can offer insights and a deeper understanding of lived experiences. The study addressed the alienating nature of psychology praxis due to psychology’s colonial, inherently biased, unresponsive, and adult-centric orientation. It provided a contextual analysis of locale in understanding sexual trau...
Conceptual disagreement remains rife with regard to African psychology with some scholars mistake... more Conceptual disagreement remains rife with regard to African psychology with some scholars mistakenly equating it to, for example, ethnotheorizing and traditional healing, while others confound African psychology with Africanization and racialization. Using writing as inquiry, this article aims to clear up some of the conceptual confusion on African psychology while engaging with the issue of a decolonizing African psychology. Accordingly, questions such as ‘What is the main dispute between Africa(n)-centred psychology and Euro-American-centric psychology in Africa?’; ‘Does Africa(n)-centred psychology not homogenize Africans?’; ‘What can be gained from imbricating decolonizing perspectives and feminist Africa(n)-centred psychology?’; and ‘What would a decolonizing Africa(n)-centred community psychology look like?’ are pertinent in the clarification of the conceptual confusion. Arising from an inventive dialogical and collaborative method, the aim of this article is not only to illum...
South Africa is one of a number of low to middle income settings for which there is an emerging s... more South Africa is one of a number of low to middle income settings for which there is an emerging scientific and social platform for burn prevention. South African prevention research describes child burn morbidity and mortality patterns, circumstances of burn occurrence, and emerging prevention initiatives. Despite the extent and severity of burns due to clothing ignition, little is known about the causes and prevention of garment ignition burns amongst children. This study aimed to identify studies that investigate the role of garments in children's burns; and to review international and South African legislation that have been proposed or demonstrated the prevention or control of such burns. The literature search focused on South African and international publications with 46 texts retrieved, with 13 referring specifically to South Africa and the rest to international settings. These resources identified aetiological and legislative findings and recommendations pertaining to we...
African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 2014
Post-1994, the South African higher education sector underwent a number of reforms to address iss... more Post-1994, the South African higher education sector underwent a number of reforms to address issues of inequalities, inefficiencies and fragmentation. Reform in the Western Cape Province included pooling the resources of three universities to form a common teaching platform (CTP). Henceforth training and education of undergraduate nursing students took place at a university in the Western Cape as the main enrolling higher education institution (HEI) for the undergraduate nursing degree. This study examines monetary and non-monetary costs and benefits derived from the CTP compared to the previous teaching platform (PTP), where the universities offered the degree programme in nursing independently of each other. PTP and CTP expenditure reports were the source of data for a monetary cost-benefit analysis (CBA). This was a Medias Res CBA study with some ex-ante and ex-post CBA elements. Non-monetary cost-benefit data were obtained through in-depth semi-structured interviews, focus grou...
Post-1994, the South African higher education sector underwent a number of reforms to address iss... more Post-1994, the South African higher education sector underwent a number of reforms to address issues of inequalities, inefficiencies and fragmentation. Reform in the Western Cape Province included pooling the resources of three universities to form a common teaching platform (CTP). Henceforth training and education of undergraduate nursing students took place at a university in the Western Cape as the main enrolling higher education institution (HEI) for the undergraduate nursing degree. This study examines monetary and non-monetary costs and benefits derived from the CTP compared to the previous teaching platform (PTP), where the universities offered the degree programme in nursing independently of each other. PTP and CTP expenditure reports were the source of data for a monetary cost-benefit analysis (CBA). This was a Medias Res CBA study with some ex-ante and ex-post CBA elements. Non-monetary cost-benefit data were obtained through in-depth semi-structured interviews, focus grou...
Burns are a global public health problem. In South Africa, the rate of paediatric burn deaths is ... more Burns are a global public health problem. In South Africa, the rate of paediatric burn deaths is 5 times higher than other upper middle-income countries, with concentrations in impoverished settings. Globally, the majority of research focuses on expert and caregiver descriptions of burn occurrence, causation, and prevention, with limited consideration of children's perspectives. This study investigated children's understanding of the causation and prevention of childhood burns. Data were collected from eighteen 10- to 11-year-old children living in selected impoverished, fire-affected neighbourhoods in Cape Town, through 3 isiXhosa focus groups. All focus groups were transcribed, coded, and analysed for emerging themes through thematic analysis. Themes regarding burn causation and risks centred around 4 themes: (a) developmental limits in context; (b) domestic chores, child capacity, and inability to say "no"; (c) inadequate supervision and compromised caregiving; ...
South African Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, 2018
Parenting plays an important role in the socialisation of children and youth, and ineffective par... more Parenting plays an important role in the socialisation of children and youth, and ineffective parenting has been associated with multiple negative social and health outcomes among young people. Any attempt to design contextually relevant multi-system interventions to improve parenting practices and reduce negative child and adolescent outcomes must be based on an understanding of how contextual factors influence parenting practices. A phenomenological reflective lifeworld approach was utilised to explore parents’ lived experiences of multiple intersecting socio-demographic factors and community social processes that impact on their parenting practices. This study was framed by social disorganisation theory rooted within an ecological framework. Using purposive sampling, data was collected from 47 parents comprising local residents and stakeholders (36 focus group participants and 7 individual interview participants) in a low-income community in Cape Town, South Africa. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed various socio-demographic factors characteristic of community disorder that intersect with parenting and contributes to neglectful parenting. These factors include socio-economic disadvantage that leads to parental stress for predominantly single parent families, and a lack of formal and informal social control compounded by community disorder. This highlights the need for multi-level parenting interventions that address both community structural and social processes.
Keywords: parenting practices; South Africa; family structure; social disorganisation theory
In a previous article we sought to clear up some of the conceptual confusion on ... more In a previous article we sought to clear up some of the conceptual confusion on African psychology whilst simultaneously engaging with what it entails to do a decolonising African psychology. We dealt with questions such as: Is African psychology identical to psychology in Africa? What is the main dispute between Africa(n)-centred psychology and Euroamerican-centric psychology in Africa? Might ‘Blackening’ psychology decolonise the discipline? And what can be gained from imbricating decolonising perspectives and feminist Africa(n)-centred psychology? In addition to the necessary work aimed at countering coloniality in psychology through thinking the world from Africa and the global South, that article began to invent a certain kind of writing as method – including story-telling, facilitation, dialogues, interruptions and mutual learning. We have since deepened on that method and, in this contribution, while seeking to elaborate on the last question in particular, that is to say, what is to be gained from closely linking and diffracting psychology through a prism of decoloniality, Africa(n)-centredness and feminism, the plan is to enact aspects of a decolonising method.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had changed the world in unexpected ways and psy... more The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had changed the world in unexpected ways and psychometric assessment was no exception. Despite the advancements made in online psychometric assessment implementation, the authors of this commentary reflected on their own experiences in the context of the psychology profession in South Africa, where psychology professionals had been faced with the dilemma of halting, postponing or adapting assessments for remote implementation. Remote implementation had many challenges, notably shifting the logistics, financial burden and accountability onto the testtaker. In addition, when implementing remote testing, considerations of supervised and unsupervised testing need to be considered in terms of flexibility, control, test-taker comfort, standardisation, costs, ethical concerns and crisis management. Whilst in the private sector, remote psychometric assessment had been met with resilience and innovation, in academia, remote psychometric research was faced with unique challenges which affect all aspects of the research process and access to participation. Across both industry and academia where psychometric assessments were conducted, the scores and results need to be interpreted with reflection and caution as the pandemic had led to an increase in psychological distress in addition to the unique contextual challenges that South Africa already faced.
As scholars, we are trained and disciplined to build theory through telling particular stories of... more As scholars, we are trained and disciplined to build theory through telling particular stories of the people we research. Although these stories are often packaged as ‘science’, ‘research’ and ‘knowledge’, we ought to recognise that these stories are rooted within broader dynamics of power. Drawing on the work of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and other critical scholars, we seek to explore the dangers of a singular narrative, present in both public and academic feminist discourse, about Black men. In relation to feminist stories, it is particularly important to acknowledge that many of the stories that are told are rooted in a Western hegemony, measuring gender equality according to western ways of knowing and serving to legitimise neo-colonial forms of domination (Brenner, 2003). A western-centric, universalist feminism has resulted in a rigid understanding of hegemonic masculinity that is situated within a moralistic binary of victim and villain. In line with a desire to promote critical feminist scholarship beyond this binary, in this open forum article we examine the implications of popular movements such as the ##TheTotalShutdown and #MenAreTrash for boys, men and masculinities. As a conclusion we offer an invitation for further engagement around the possibilities of advancing a feminism that is committed to the promoting of positive masculinities rather than simply the surfacing of toxic masculinities.
Conceptual disagreement remains rife with regard to African psychology with some scholars mistake... more Conceptual disagreement remains rife with regard to African psychology with some scholars mistakenly equating it to, for example, ethnotheorizing and traditional healing, while others confound African psychology with Africanization and racialization. Using writing as inquiry, this article aims to clear up some of the conceptual confusion on African psychology while engaging with the issue of a decolonizing African psychology. Accordingly, questions such as 'What is the main dispute between Africa(n)-centred psychology and Euro-American-centric psychology in Africa?'; 'Does Africa(n)-centred psychology not homogenize Africans?'; 'What can be gained from imbricating decolonizing perspectives and feminist Africa(n)-centred psychology?'; and 'What would a decolonizing Africa(n)-centred community psychology look like?' are pertinent in the clarification of the conceptual confusion. Arising from an inventive dialogical and collaborative method, the aim of this article is not only to illuminate some basic misunderstandings on (a) decolonizing African psychology but also to generate further dialogue on how to work towards African psychology as situated decolonizing practice and knowledge. Keywords Africa(n)-centred community psychology, Africa(n)-centred psychology, African psychology, Euro-American-centric psychology, feminist Africa(n)-centred psychology
Background: Burns are a global public health problem. In South Africa, the rate of paediatric bur... more Background: Burns are a global public health problem. In South Africa, the rate of paediatric burn deaths is 5 times higher than other upper middle-income countries, with concentrations in impoverished settings. Globally, the majority of research focuses on expert and caregiver descriptions of burn occurrence, causation, and prevention, with limited consideration of children's perspectives. This study investigated children's understanding of the causation and prevention of childhood burns.
Methods: Data were collected from eighteen 10- to 11-year-old children living in selected impoverished, fire-affected neighbourhoods in Cape Town, through 3 isiXhosa focus groups. All focus groups were transcribed, coded, and analysed for emerging themes through thematic analysis.
Results: Themes regarding burn causation and risks centred around 4 themes: (a) developmental limits in context; (b) domestic chores, child capacity, and inability to say "no"; (c) inadequate supervision and compromised caregiving; and (d) unsafe structures. Child accounts of prevention pertained to (e) burn injury prevention activities in comprised environments and emphasized child agency, and upgrading the physical environment.
Conclusion: The children in this study ascribed burn injuries as the consequence of their developmental limits in the context of poverty, constraints on parental supervision, and unsafe environments. The children recommended safety education and upgrading their physical environments as part of burns injury prevention. The child accounts offer useful insights to inform safety interventions in impoverished settings.
Keywords: burns; causation; child development; children; environment; participation in research.
Crime, Violence and Injury in South Africa: 21st Century Solutions for Child Safety, 2012
South Africa has a high rate of childhood burns, with as many as 1300 deaths every year, many of ... more South Africa has a high rate of childhood burns, with as many as 1300 deaths every year, many of which are thought to be preventable. South African investigations have described child burn circumstances of occurrence; perspectives on the aetiology and prevention of childhood burns; and descriptions of a number of prevention interventions. These reports have emphasised the
vulnerability of especially infants and toddlers, with the highest incidence among very young black boys. Congested homes, paraffin appliances, family stress and general impoverishment are reported to contribute to childhood burn injuries. This Chapter
reviews these contributors and the environmental, legislative and educational preventative strategies and activities reported to have had some success internationally, if not in South Africa, in the
prevention of burns. The improvement of home design and layout, installation of electricity, control of hazardous domestic equipment and provision of safe appliances, are all high priority or effective burn prevention strategies. In addition, the formulation of South African legislation to enable these infrastructural improvements, such as policies or standards for both hot water cylinder temperature control and paraffin appliances, is strongly supported. Educational interventions that target children, caregivers and policy makers, potentially consolidate the efficacy of burn prevention. Posttraumatic, psycho-social interventions are important in the South African setting and this Chapter reports
on the emerging local and international practices. These include burn camps, support groups, school reintegration, counselling, and expressive arts. However, there remains a scarcity of information on which rehabilitative and preventative interventions work in South Africa, with few scientific evaluations of local interventions.
Background: In Africa, remnants of colonisation and the effects of coloniality have influenced ch... more Background: In Africa, remnants of colonisation and the effects of coloniality have influenced childhood in ways dissimilar to those in other parts of the world. Objectives: This article contests against universalised theorising of children, advocates for Afrocentric approaches to childhood studies on African children, and makes a case for Afrocentric pedagogy in the psychology of child sexual violence and childhood trauma. Methodology: The arguments in this article are informed by a rapid review of doctoral research on the history of violence in South Africa and developmental theory to understand how children make meaning of the experience of sexual violence-related trauma. Results: South Africa's history of colonisation and Apartheid significantly contributes to child outcomes. Decolonial thought and African-centered theorising must be applied to childhood studies in Africa for a contextual understanding of African childhoods. They must centre on the needs and worldviews of Africans. Conclusion: Education is an instrument of enculturation; therefore, pedagogy should reflect the people it studies. The methods and practice in teaching childhood studies in psychology in Africa must humanise both children and professionals. Contribution: The article addresses the questions of relevance in childhood studies in Africa and advances recommendations for how academics and practitioners in childhood sexual violence and psychology should work with complex knowledge in childhood studies pedagogy.
This thesis presents the narratives of 16 children between the ages of 9 and 11 years who experie... more This thesis presents the narratives of 16 children between the ages of 9 and 11 years who experienced sexual violence and trauma, within poly-victimisation, and live in South African townships. The study aimed to determine and provide an in-depth understanding of how children make sense of experienced sexual violence and trauma through African-centred and child-centric theorising. The intersectional oppressions of race, class, gender, and age undergirded the framework with feminism as a salient theme. The framework offered a perspective for the reshaping of contextual and developmentally appropriate psychological trauma interventions. The study positioned children as knowledge producers who can offer insights and a deeper understanding of lived experiences. The study addressed the alienating nature of psychology praxis due to psychology’s colonial, inherently biased, unresponsive, and adult-centric orientation. It provided a contextual analysis of locale in understanding sexual trau...
Conceptual disagreement remains rife with regard to African psychology with some scholars mistake... more Conceptual disagreement remains rife with regard to African psychology with some scholars mistakenly equating it to, for example, ethnotheorizing and traditional healing, while others confound African psychology with Africanization and racialization. Using writing as inquiry, this article aims to clear up some of the conceptual confusion on African psychology while engaging with the issue of a decolonizing African psychology. Accordingly, questions such as ‘What is the main dispute between Africa(n)-centred psychology and Euro-American-centric psychology in Africa?’; ‘Does Africa(n)-centred psychology not homogenize Africans?’; ‘What can be gained from imbricating decolonizing perspectives and feminist Africa(n)-centred psychology?’; and ‘What would a decolonizing Africa(n)-centred community psychology look like?’ are pertinent in the clarification of the conceptual confusion. Arising from an inventive dialogical and collaborative method, the aim of this article is not only to illum...
South Africa is one of a number of low to middle income settings for which there is an emerging s... more South Africa is one of a number of low to middle income settings for which there is an emerging scientific and social platform for burn prevention. South African prevention research describes child burn morbidity and mortality patterns, circumstances of burn occurrence, and emerging prevention initiatives. Despite the extent and severity of burns due to clothing ignition, little is known about the causes and prevention of garment ignition burns amongst children. This study aimed to identify studies that investigate the role of garments in children's burns; and to review international and South African legislation that have been proposed or demonstrated the prevention or control of such burns. The literature search focused on South African and international publications with 46 texts retrieved, with 13 referring specifically to South Africa and the rest to international settings. These resources identified aetiological and legislative findings and recommendations pertaining to we...
African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 2014
Post-1994, the South African higher education sector underwent a number of reforms to address iss... more Post-1994, the South African higher education sector underwent a number of reforms to address issues of inequalities, inefficiencies and fragmentation. Reform in the Western Cape Province included pooling the resources of three universities to form a common teaching platform (CTP). Henceforth training and education of undergraduate nursing students took place at a university in the Western Cape as the main enrolling higher education institution (HEI) for the undergraduate nursing degree. This study examines monetary and non-monetary costs and benefits derived from the CTP compared to the previous teaching platform (PTP), where the universities offered the degree programme in nursing independently of each other. PTP and CTP expenditure reports were the source of data for a monetary cost-benefit analysis (CBA). This was a Medias Res CBA study with some ex-ante and ex-post CBA elements. Non-monetary cost-benefit data were obtained through in-depth semi-structured interviews, focus grou...
Post-1994, the South African higher education sector underwent a number of reforms to address iss... more Post-1994, the South African higher education sector underwent a number of reforms to address issues of inequalities, inefficiencies and fragmentation. Reform in the Western Cape Province included pooling the resources of three universities to form a common teaching platform (CTP). Henceforth training and education of undergraduate nursing students took place at a university in the Western Cape as the main enrolling higher education institution (HEI) for the undergraduate nursing degree. This study examines monetary and non-monetary costs and benefits derived from the CTP compared to the previous teaching platform (PTP), where the universities offered the degree programme in nursing independently of each other. PTP and CTP expenditure reports were the source of data for a monetary cost-benefit analysis (CBA). This was a Medias Res CBA study with some ex-ante and ex-post CBA elements. Non-monetary cost-benefit data were obtained through in-depth semi-structured interviews, focus grou...
Burns are a global public health problem. In South Africa, the rate of paediatric burn deaths is ... more Burns are a global public health problem. In South Africa, the rate of paediatric burn deaths is 5 times higher than other upper middle-income countries, with concentrations in impoverished settings. Globally, the majority of research focuses on expert and caregiver descriptions of burn occurrence, causation, and prevention, with limited consideration of children's perspectives. This study investigated children's understanding of the causation and prevention of childhood burns. Data were collected from eighteen 10- to 11-year-old children living in selected impoverished, fire-affected neighbourhoods in Cape Town, through 3 isiXhosa focus groups. All focus groups were transcribed, coded, and analysed for emerging themes through thematic analysis. Themes regarding burn causation and risks centred around 4 themes: (a) developmental limits in context; (b) domestic chores, child capacity, and inability to say "no"; (c) inadequate supervision and compromised caregiving; ...
South African Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, 2018
Parenting plays an important role in the socialisation of children and youth, and ineffective par... more Parenting plays an important role in the socialisation of children and youth, and ineffective parenting has been associated with multiple negative social and health outcomes among young people. Any attempt to design contextually relevant multi-system interventions to improve parenting practices and reduce negative child and adolescent outcomes must be based on an understanding of how contextual factors influence parenting practices. A phenomenological reflective lifeworld approach was utilised to explore parents’ lived experiences of multiple intersecting socio-demographic factors and community social processes that impact on their parenting practices. This study was framed by social disorganisation theory rooted within an ecological framework. Using purposive sampling, data was collected from 47 parents comprising local residents and stakeholders (36 focus group participants and 7 individual interview participants) in a low-income community in Cape Town, South Africa. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed various socio-demographic factors characteristic of community disorder that intersect with parenting and contributes to neglectful parenting. These factors include socio-economic disadvantage that leads to parental stress for predominantly single parent families, and a lack of formal and informal social control compounded by community disorder. This highlights the need for multi-level parenting interventions that address both community structural and social processes.
Keywords: parenting practices; South Africa; family structure; social disorganisation theory
In a previous article we sought to clear up some of the conceptual confusion on ... more In a previous article we sought to clear up some of the conceptual confusion on African psychology whilst simultaneously engaging with what it entails to do a decolonising African psychology. We dealt with questions such as: Is African psychology identical to psychology in Africa? What is the main dispute between Africa(n)-centred psychology and Euroamerican-centric psychology in Africa? Might ‘Blackening’ psychology decolonise the discipline? And what can be gained from imbricating decolonising perspectives and feminist Africa(n)-centred psychology? In addition to the necessary work aimed at countering coloniality in psychology through thinking the world from Africa and the global South, that article began to invent a certain kind of writing as method – including story-telling, facilitation, dialogues, interruptions and mutual learning. We have since deepened on that method and, in this contribution, while seeking to elaborate on the last question in particular, that is to say, what is to be gained from closely linking and diffracting psychology through a prism of decoloniality, Africa(n)-centredness and feminism, the plan is to enact aspects of a decolonising method.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had changed the world in unexpected ways and psy... more The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had changed the world in unexpected ways and psychometric assessment was no exception. Despite the advancements made in online psychometric assessment implementation, the authors of this commentary reflected on their own experiences in the context of the psychology profession in South Africa, where psychology professionals had been faced with the dilemma of halting, postponing or adapting assessments for remote implementation. Remote implementation had many challenges, notably shifting the logistics, financial burden and accountability onto the testtaker. In addition, when implementing remote testing, considerations of supervised and unsupervised testing need to be considered in terms of flexibility, control, test-taker comfort, standardisation, costs, ethical concerns and crisis management. Whilst in the private sector, remote psychometric assessment had been met with resilience and innovation, in academia, remote psychometric research was faced with unique challenges which affect all aspects of the research process and access to participation. Across both industry and academia where psychometric assessments were conducted, the scores and results need to be interpreted with reflection and caution as the pandemic had led to an increase in psychological distress in addition to the unique contextual challenges that South Africa already faced.
As scholars, we are trained and disciplined to build theory through telling particular stories of... more As scholars, we are trained and disciplined to build theory through telling particular stories of the people we research. Although these stories are often packaged as ‘science’, ‘research’ and ‘knowledge’, we ought to recognise that these stories are rooted within broader dynamics of power. Drawing on the work of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and other critical scholars, we seek to explore the dangers of a singular narrative, present in both public and academic feminist discourse, about Black men. In relation to feminist stories, it is particularly important to acknowledge that many of the stories that are told are rooted in a Western hegemony, measuring gender equality according to western ways of knowing and serving to legitimise neo-colonial forms of domination (Brenner, 2003). A western-centric, universalist feminism has resulted in a rigid understanding of hegemonic masculinity that is situated within a moralistic binary of victim and villain. In line with a desire to promote critical feminist scholarship beyond this binary, in this open forum article we examine the implications of popular movements such as the ##TheTotalShutdown and #MenAreTrash for boys, men and masculinities. As a conclusion we offer an invitation for further engagement around the possibilities of advancing a feminism that is committed to the promoting of positive masculinities rather than simply the surfacing of toxic masculinities.
Conceptual disagreement remains rife with regard to African psychology with some scholars mistake... more Conceptual disagreement remains rife with regard to African psychology with some scholars mistakenly equating it to, for example, ethnotheorizing and traditional healing, while others confound African psychology with Africanization and racialization. Using writing as inquiry, this article aims to clear up some of the conceptual confusion on African psychology while engaging with the issue of a decolonizing African psychology. Accordingly, questions such as 'What is the main dispute between Africa(n)-centred psychology and Euro-American-centric psychology in Africa?'; 'Does Africa(n)-centred psychology not homogenize Africans?'; 'What can be gained from imbricating decolonizing perspectives and feminist Africa(n)-centred psychology?'; and 'What would a decolonizing Africa(n)-centred community psychology look like?' are pertinent in the clarification of the conceptual confusion. Arising from an inventive dialogical and collaborative method, the aim of this article is not only to illuminate some basic misunderstandings on (a) decolonizing African psychology but also to generate further dialogue on how to work towards African psychology as situated decolonizing practice and knowledge. Keywords Africa(n)-centred community psychology, Africa(n)-centred psychology, African psychology, Euro-American-centric psychology, feminist Africa(n)-centred psychology
Background: Burns are a global public health problem. In South Africa, the rate of paediatric bur... more Background: Burns are a global public health problem. In South Africa, the rate of paediatric burn deaths is 5 times higher than other upper middle-income countries, with concentrations in impoverished settings. Globally, the majority of research focuses on expert and caregiver descriptions of burn occurrence, causation, and prevention, with limited consideration of children's perspectives. This study investigated children's understanding of the causation and prevention of childhood burns.
Methods: Data were collected from eighteen 10- to 11-year-old children living in selected impoverished, fire-affected neighbourhoods in Cape Town, through 3 isiXhosa focus groups. All focus groups were transcribed, coded, and analysed for emerging themes through thematic analysis.
Results: Themes regarding burn causation and risks centred around 4 themes: (a) developmental limits in context; (b) domestic chores, child capacity, and inability to say "no"; (c) inadequate supervision and compromised caregiving; and (d) unsafe structures. Child accounts of prevention pertained to (e) burn injury prevention activities in comprised environments and emphasized child agency, and upgrading the physical environment.
Conclusion: The children in this study ascribed burn injuries as the consequence of their developmental limits in the context of poverty, constraints on parental supervision, and unsafe environments. The children recommended safety education and upgrading their physical environments as part of burns injury prevention. The child accounts offer useful insights to inform safety interventions in impoverished settings.
Keywords: burns; causation; child development; children; environment; participation in research.
Crime, Violence and Injury in South Africa: 21st Century Solutions for Child Safety, 2012
South Africa has a high rate of childhood burns, with as many as 1300 deaths every year, many of ... more South Africa has a high rate of childhood burns, with as many as 1300 deaths every year, many of which are thought to be preventable. South African investigations have described child burn circumstances of occurrence; perspectives on the aetiology and prevention of childhood burns; and descriptions of a number of prevention interventions. These reports have emphasised the
vulnerability of especially infants and toddlers, with the highest incidence among very young black boys. Congested homes, paraffin appliances, family stress and general impoverishment are reported to contribute to childhood burn injuries. This Chapter
reviews these contributors and the environmental, legislative and educational preventative strategies and activities reported to have had some success internationally, if not in South Africa, in the
prevention of burns. The improvement of home design and layout, installation of electricity, control of hazardous domestic equipment and provision of safe appliances, are all high priority or effective burn prevention strategies. In addition, the formulation of South African legislation to enable these infrastructural improvements, such as policies or standards for both hot water cylinder temperature control and paraffin appliances, is strongly supported. Educational interventions that target children, caregivers and policy makers, potentially consolidate the efficacy of burn prevention. Posttraumatic, psycho-social interventions are important in the South African setting and this Chapter reports
on the emerging local and international practices. These include burn camps, support groups, school reintegration, counselling, and expressive arts. However, there remains a scarcity of information on which rehabilitative and preventative interventions work in South Africa, with few scientific evaluations of local interventions.
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Papers by Neziswa Titi
adolescent outcomes must be based on an understanding of how contextual factors influence parenting practices. A phenomenological reflective lifeworld approach was utilised to explore parents’ lived experiences of multiple intersecting socio-demographic factors and community social processes that impact on their
parenting practices. This study was framed by social disorganisation theory rooted within an ecological framework. Using purposive sampling, data was collected from 47 parents comprising local residents and stakeholders (36 focus group participants and 7 individual interview participants) in a low-income community in Cape Town, South Africa. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed various socio-demographic factors characteristic of community disorder that intersect with parenting and contributes to neglectful parenting. These factors include socio-economic disadvantage that leads to parental stress for predominantly single parent
families, and a lack of formal and informal social control compounded by community disorder. This highlights the need for multi-level parenting interventions that address both community structural and social processes.
Keywords: parenting practices; South Africa; family structure; social disorganisation theory
Keywords: academia; COVID-19 pandemic; industry; mental health; psychometric assessment; South Africa; remote testing.
recognise that these stories are rooted within broader dynamics of power. Drawing on the work of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and other critical scholars, we seek to explore the dangers of a singular narrative,
present in both public and academic feminist discourse, about Black men. In relation to feminist stories, it is particularly important to acknowledge that many of the stories that are told are rooted in a Western hegemony, measuring gender equality according to western ways of knowing and serving to legitimise neo-colonial forms
of domination (Brenner, 2003). A western-centric, universalist feminism has resulted in a rigid understanding of hegemonic masculinity that is situated within a moralistic binary of victim and villain. In line with a desire to promote critical feminist scholarship beyond this binary, in this open forum article we examine the implications of popular movements such as the ##TheTotalShutdown and #MenAreTrash for boys, men and masculinities. As a conclusion we offer an invitation for further engagement around the possibilities of advancing a feminism
that is committed to the promoting of positive masculinities rather than simply the surfacing of toxic masculinities.
Methods: Data were collected from eighteen 10- to 11-year-old children living in selected impoverished, fire-affected neighbourhoods in Cape Town, through 3 isiXhosa focus groups. All focus groups were transcribed, coded, and analysed for emerging themes through thematic analysis.
Results: Themes regarding burn causation and risks centred around 4 themes: (a) developmental limits in context; (b) domestic chores, child capacity, and inability to say "no"; (c) inadequate supervision and compromised caregiving; and (d) unsafe structures. Child accounts of prevention pertained to (e) burn injury prevention activities in comprised environments and emphasized child agency, and upgrading the physical environment.
Conclusion: The children in this study ascribed burn injuries as the consequence of their developmental limits in the context of poverty, constraints on parental supervision, and unsafe environments. The children recommended safety education and upgrading their physical environments as part of burns injury prevention. The child accounts offer useful insights to inform safety interventions in impoverished settings.
Keywords: burns; causation; child development; children; environment; participation in research.
vulnerability of especially infants and toddlers, with the highest incidence among very young black boys. Congested homes, paraffin appliances, family stress and general impoverishment are reported to contribute to childhood burn injuries. This Chapter
reviews these contributors and the environmental, legislative and educational preventative strategies and activities reported to have had some success internationally, if not in South Africa, in the
prevention of burns. The improvement of home design and layout, installation of electricity, control of hazardous domestic equipment and provision of safe appliances, are all high priority or effective burn prevention strategies. In addition, the formulation of South African legislation to enable these infrastructural improvements, such as policies or standards for both hot water cylinder temperature control and paraffin appliances, is strongly supported. Educational interventions that target children, caregivers and policy makers, potentially consolidate the efficacy of burn prevention. Posttraumatic, psycho-social interventions are important in the South African setting and this Chapter reports
on the emerging local and international practices. These include burn camps, support groups, school reintegration, counselling, and expressive arts. However, there remains a scarcity of information on which rehabilitative and preventative interventions work in South Africa, with few scientific evaluations of local interventions.
keywords: burn injury, epidemiology, prevention,
rehabilitation
adolescent outcomes must be based on an understanding of how contextual factors influence parenting practices. A phenomenological reflective lifeworld approach was utilised to explore parents’ lived experiences of multiple intersecting socio-demographic factors and community social processes that impact on their
parenting practices. This study was framed by social disorganisation theory rooted within an ecological framework. Using purposive sampling, data was collected from 47 parents comprising local residents and stakeholders (36 focus group participants and 7 individual interview participants) in a low-income community in Cape Town, South Africa. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed various socio-demographic factors characteristic of community disorder that intersect with parenting and contributes to neglectful parenting. These factors include socio-economic disadvantage that leads to parental stress for predominantly single parent
families, and a lack of formal and informal social control compounded by community disorder. This highlights the need for multi-level parenting interventions that address both community structural and social processes.
Keywords: parenting practices; South Africa; family structure; social disorganisation theory
Keywords: academia; COVID-19 pandemic; industry; mental health; psychometric assessment; South Africa; remote testing.
recognise that these stories are rooted within broader dynamics of power. Drawing on the work of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and other critical scholars, we seek to explore the dangers of a singular narrative,
present in both public and academic feminist discourse, about Black men. In relation to feminist stories, it is particularly important to acknowledge that many of the stories that are told are rooted in a Western hegemony, measuring gender equality according to western ways of knowing and serving to legitimise neo-colonial forms
of domination (Brenner, 2003). A western-centric, universalist feminism has resulted in a rigid understanding of hegemonic masculinity that is situated within a moralistic binary of victim and villain. In line with a desire to promote critical feminist scholarship beyond this binary, in this open forum article we examine the implications of popular movements such as the ##TheTotalShutdown and #MenAreTrash for boys, men and masculinities. As a conclusion we offer an invitation for further engagement around the possibilities of advancing a feminism
that is committed to the promoting of positive masculinities rather than simply the surfacing of toxic masculinities.
Methods: Data were collected from eighteen 10- to 11-year-old children living in selected impoverished, fire-affected neighbourhoods in Cape Town, through 3 isiXhosa focus groups. All focus groups were transcribed, coded, and analysed for emerging themes through thematic analysis.
Results: Themes regarding burn causation and risks centred around 4 themes: (a) developmental limits in context; (b) domestic chores, child capacity, and inability to say "no"; (c) inadequate supervision and compromised caregiving; and (d) unsafe structures. Child accounts of prevention pertained to (e) burn injury prevention activities in comprised environments and emphasized child agency, and upgrading the physical environment.
Conclusion: The children in this study ascribed burn injuries as the consequence of their developmental limits in the context of poverty, constraints on parental supervision, and unsafe environments. The children recommended safety education and upgrading their physical environments as part of burns injury prevention. The child accounts offer useful insights to inform safety interventions in impoverished settings.
Keywords: burns; causation; child development; children; environment; participation in research.
vulnerability of especially infants and toddlers, with the highest incidence among very young black boys. Congested homes, paraffin appliances, family stress and general impoverishment are reported to contribute to childhood burn injuries. This Chapter
reviews these contributors and the environmental, legislative and educational preventative strategies and activities reported to have had some success internationally, if not in South Africa, in the
prevention of burns. The improvement of home design and layout, installation of electricity, control of hazardous domestic equipment and provision of safe appliances, are all high priority or effective burn prevention strategies. In addition, the formulation of South African legislation to enable these infrastructural improvements, such as policies or standards for both hot water cylinder temperature control and paraffin appliances, is strongly supported. Educational interventions that target children, caregivers and policy makers, potentially consolidate the efficacy of burn prevention. Posttraumatic, psycho-social interventions are important in the South African setting and this Chapter reports
on the emerging local and international practices. These include burn camps, support groups, school reintegration, counselling, and expressive arts. However, there remains a scarcity of information on which rehabilitative and preventative interventions work in South Africa, with few scientific evaluations of local interventions.
keywords: burn injury, epidemiology, prevention,
rehabilitation