Office of the Dean: The Humanities

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    The mixed legacy underlying Rawls's Theory of justice
    (Faculty of Law, University of the Free State, 2006-06) Strauss, D. F. M.
    English: The Theory of justice advanced by Rawls must be understood within the context of factual legal approaches (such as positivism and pragmatism) that eliminated normative considerations. By contrast, Rawls argues for an account of the role of normative legal principles by proceeding from an idea introduced during the Enlightenment, namely that of a social contract. However, the way in which he speaks about law, morality and virtues clearly demonstrates his indebtedness to Ancient Greek and Medieval conceptions as well. His assumption is that it is possible for normal human beings to arrive at a rational consensus by assuming that these individuals not only do have a normative (moral) awareness but that they are also capable to take distance from their factual societal position and relations (the veil of ignorance) in order to be open to moral principles acceptable to every normally developed human being. This article sets out to investigate the historical roots of the idea of a just society by contrasting the classical Greek and Medieval ideals with that of modern approaches since the Renaissance, particularly the account found in natural law theories about the supposed social contract lying at the foundation of an ordered and just society. The open-ended problems present within this legacy - particularly regarding the inherent shortcomings of both atomistic and holistic orientations implicit in the mainstream views on being human and on the place of the latter within human society and the state - are then related to the mixed assumptions underlying Rawls's theory at a basic level. It will be argued that although his intention is to advocate the basic elements of a constitutional democracy, this aim is threatened by the latent holistic undertones accompanying his entire theory.
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    The role of rural women in mitigating water scarcity
    (University of the Free State, 2006-11) Sigenu, Kholisa; Pelser, A. J.
    English: Due to water scarcity in the world and its effect on rural women, the aim of the study was to document the strategies of rural women in Ndonga and their role in mitigating water scarcity with an aim of providing a set of recommendations. As the result of the relatively unexplored nature of women’s strategies, the study was exploratory. Firstly, the researcher confirmed that there was water scarcity in Ndonga. Through a literature search, interviews with key informants and focus group sessions with local women, the researcher discovered that women in Ndonga are vulnerable to water scarcity. What makes them susceptible to water scarcity is their status in the community. The women are left in the rural areas while men seek for work elsewhere. They also do not have proper access to water and therefore depend on natural resources. Secondly, their economic status (mostly unemployed) also makes it difficult for them to deal with stock and crop loss. Vulnerability is also due to their lack of participation in decision making. The South African government’s strategies to combat water scarcity include giving free basic water to poor households (This process is slow in rural areas like Ndonga) and to include all water users in the management of water resources. Women’s local wisdom and knowledge gained through experience, cultural and ethical values should help them to create their own future. Women’s strategies to cope with water scarcity are currently largely undocumented and therefore unrecognized. These strategies could, however, be a potential solution to water scarcity problems. Strategies used by women in Ndonga have confirmed that rural women are not just victims of water scarcity but that they are able to minimize the impact of this phenomenon. The strategy of Ubuntu ensures that women are able to share the minimum that they have with others in order to access equipment and secure food for the family during hard times. The women have also managed to conserve water as they use micro-irrigation schemes through working together. To further ensure that there is food, the women plant and store crops. A crop such as sorghum is used to make different dishes that sustain energy. Through communal vegetable gardens the women are able to secure some form of income for their families. However, this is still not enough money as they still struggle to afford water for nondomestic purposes. The women are also using drought resistant plants that grow naturally in the area to deal with water scarcity. Lastly, rituals, such as ukungqungqa, in rural Ndonga, are seen as pivotal strategies to ensure that there is water but, as a result of deteriorating human values, such rituals might fail. It is proposed that the authorities in Ndonga should create awareness of the looming water scarcity facing communities, to prepare them so that they are pro-active in dealing with water scarcity. Furthermore, women’s participation in decision making should be strengthened by increasing the current 30 percent to 50 percent representation as women in rural areas are usually proportionally more than men. Human induced water scarcity problems, such as desiccation as a result of overstocking/overgrazing, should also be monitored and minimized. Women’s income generating projects should be financially supported to ensure sustainability and empowerment. Women should also be capacitated with technical skills through their involvement in the implementation phase of community water projects, such as the installation of communal taps. Lastly, women’s needs, experiences and knowledge should be documented and used in the formulation of relevant strategies in order to reduce women’s vulnerability to water scarcity and to decrease its impact. This, in turn, will prevent further water degradation and environmental degradation.
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    Visual communication - a transcendental empirical-perspective
    (Department of Communication Science, University of the Free State, 2010) Strauss, D. F. M.
    The recent pictorial turn, succeeded by a visual turn, led to a new appreciation of visual communication in human culture. Communication is normally associated with subjectsubject rela tions. The qualification “visual” entails an important demarcation and restriction for it mainly concerns (lingual and non-lingual) signs, sketches, tables, typographi cal designs, and so on. What is taken for granted are the spoken and the (electronically or non-electronically) written word. Attention is given to the remarkable differences between animals and human beings regarding their visual capacities within the visible world. It appears that ani mals select only a limited section from what is available to them within their visible world. Yet, there are animals that can register supersonic waves, see ultraviolet rays as light, fish can sense electrical fields, and birds use the magnetic poles of the earth as navigating devices – all senses lacking in a human being. Within the human visual field human beings are capable of perceiving many more things than what they are actually noticing. This coheres with the absence of inborn activating mechanisms in humans. Given the mysterious complexity of the eye, the important difference be tween animals and human perception is found in the distinctively human capacity to discern, to locate, to be attentive to something within a person’s visual field. This ability to be attentive is indeed decisive for visual communica tion. It is argued that the difference between oral and visual communication actually may serve to provide a criterion to distinguish between the science of ethnology and the science of history.
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    Die dagboek van'n Boeremeisie in diens van die vyand-siekte en sorg in die Bethulie-kamp
    (Faculty of the Humanities, University of the Free State, 2011-09) Pretorius, Engela; Krige, Daleen
    The many published diaries kept by women in the concentration camps constitute an extraordinary aspect of the Anglo-Boer War. Undoubtedly, some diaries have only survived within families – like the one kept by Susara Johanna (Sarie) Roos. Armed conflict can be considered to be the antithesis of public health and, as such, it constitutes a health issue. Central to every war one finds the health care staff, and specifically the nurse, who has to deal with the physical, emotional and social consequences of the conflict. Sarie Roos, a young Boer woman, was employed by the British as a nurse in the Bethulie camp. In the main, her narrative deals with this role. This article aims to describe and analyse her experiences in this camp – one of the most devastating of its kind. During the course of her narrative, documented history comes to light, which serves to verify the reliability and authenticity of her diary. It does, however, also provide a somewhat different view of the events – from the perspective of a Boer woman employed by the enemy to serve her own people.
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    Anthropology and development: culture, morality and politics in a globalised world
    (University of the Free State, 2014) Botes, Lucius
    Abstract not available