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(The necessity of) reflexive labour practices at triggerfish animation studios: an ethnography
This ethnographic dissertation argues for reflexive labour practices at Triggerfish Animation Studios in Cape Town, South Africa. Affect is used both as an analytical lens to examine the various social labour processes at Triggerfish, as well as a vitalising medium in reflexivity, which is a form of...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Human Biology
2022
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| _version_ | 1867613217637793792 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Irvine, Laura Anne |
| author2 | Mohamed, Kharnita |
| author_browse | Irvine, Laura Anne Mohamed, Kharnita |
| author_facet | Mohamed, Kharnita Irvine, Laura Anne |
| author_sort | Irvine, Laura Anne |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | This ethnographic dissertation argues for reflexive labour practices at Triggerfish Animation Studios in Cape Town, South Africa. Affect is used both as an analytical lens to examine the various social labour processes at Triggerfish, as well as a vitalising medium in reflexivity, which is a form of affect itself. Research was conducted over two months at Triggerfish during January and February 2018, where participant observation was practiced to collect data, along with focus groups and visual diaries collated from participants. The analysis centres on engaging the affective dimension of labour, as well as the ways that affect animates the different relationships that the studio embodies. Employees and management engage with each other through the affective notion of ‘care', and this sustains relationships within a neoliberal labour environment. This sets the context of an affective workplace whose care-economy is carefully balanced and regulated through ‘caring about' and ‘caring for', which has the potential to hide power dynamics, as well as gendered labour expectations. Triggerfish's claims of difference, as well as making a difference, allows them to sell the idea of ‘Africa' through identity claimed as well as identity distanced from. Recognising Triggerfish as a white, historically settler colonial company with an elitist history in a still-segregated society is important, even as the company is also located geographically in the Global South. There is thus the need for reflexivity within the geopolitical relationships involved in creating and selling media. Self-awareness is folded in on itself as an affective medium for understanding the ways that individuals conceptualise service work provided for the Global North, as well as service work provided by the Global North for Triggerfish. This uncovers and allows multiple, sometimes oxymoronic definitions and lived experiences to coexist. I argue that reflexivity at Triggerfish should be encouraged just as it is in Social Anthropology as a discipline. It allows for a multi-dimensional studio that is aware of its history and context, and can therefore make better-informed business decisions and produce better content. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/35607 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:32:38.580Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateRange | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| publisher | Department of Human Biology |
| publisherStr | Department of Human Biology |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/35607 (The necessity of) reflexive labour practices at triggerfish animation studios: an ethnography Irvine, Laura Anne Mohamed, Kharnita human biology This ethnographic dissertation argues for reflexive labour practices at Triggerfish Animation Studios in Cape Town, South Africa. Affect is used both as an analytical lens to examine the various social labour processes at Triggerfish, as well as a vitalising medium in reflexivity, which is a form of affect itself. Research was conducted over two months at Triggerfish during January and February 2018, where participant observation was practiced to collect data, along with focus groups and visual diaries collated from participants. The analysis centres on engaging the affective dimension of labour, as well as the ways that affect animates the different relationships that the studio embodies. Employees and management engage with each other through the affective notion of ‘care', and this sustains relationships within a neoliberal labour environment. This sets the context of an affective workplace whose care-economy is carefully balanced and regulated through ‘caring about' and ‘caring for', which has the potential to hide power dynamics, as well as gendered labour expectations. Triggerfish's claims of difference, as well as making a difference, allows them to sell the idea of ‘Africa' through identity claimed as well as identity distanced from. Recognising Triggerfish as a white, historically settler colonial company with an elitist history in a still-segregated society is important, even as the company is also located geographically in the Global South. There is thus the need for reflexivity within the geopolitical relationships involved in creating and selling media. Self-awareness is folded in on itself as an affective medium for understanding the ways that individuals conceptualise service work provided for the Global North, as well as service work provided by the Global North for Triggerfish. This uncovers and allows multiple, sometimes oxymoronic definitions and lived experiences to coexist. I argue that reflexivity at Triggerfish should be encouraged just as it is in Social Anthropology as a discipline. It allows for a multi-dimensional studio that is aware of its history and context, and can therefore make better-informed business decisions and produce better content. 2022-01-28T13:09:41Z 2022-01-28T13:09:41Z 2021 2022-01-28T13:08:45Z Master Thesis Masters MA http://hdl.handle.net/11427/35607 eng application/pdf Department of Human Biology Faculty of Health Sciences |
| spellingShingle | human biology Irvine, Laura Anne (The necessity of) reflexive labour practices at triggerfish animation studios: an ethnography |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | (The necessity of) reflexive labour practices at triggerfish animation studios: an ethnography |
| title_full | (The necessity of) reflexive labour practices at triggerfish animation studios: an ethnography |
| title_fullStr | (The necessity of) reflexive labour practices at triggerfish animation studios: an ethnography |
| title_full_unstemmed | (The necessity of) reflexive labour practices at triggerfish animation studios: an ethnography |
| title_short | (The necessity of) reflexive labour practices at triggerfish animation studios: an ethnography |
| title_sort | the necessity of reflexive labour practices at triggerfish animation studios an ethnography |
| topic | human biology |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/35607 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT irvinelauraanne thenecessityofreflexivelabourpracticesattriggerfishanimationstudiosanethnography |