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Exploring Constructions of Self and Identity amongst South Africa s Homeless Population
Homelessness in South Africa has rapidly increased in recent years, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the majority of research into homelessness has focused on its causation and alleviation through macro-levelled interventions concerning housing, poverty and unemployment, not enough resear...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | Eng |
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Department of Psychology
2024
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| _version_ | 1867611269131927552 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Francis, Aim e-Kariba |
| author2 | Long, Wahbie |
| author_browse | Francis, Aim e-Kariba Long, Wahbie |
| author_facet | Long, Wahbie Francis, Aim e-Kariba |
| author_sort | Francis, Aim e-Kariba |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Homelessness in South Africa has rapidly increased in recent years, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the majority of research into homelessness has focused on its causation and alleviation through macro-levelled interventions concerning housing, poverty and unemployment, not enough research has been dedicated to understanding homelessness from the perspective of those experiencing it. The following cross-sectional, qualitative study sought to investigate homelessness by exploring constructions of identity and self amongst a sample of 15 self-identified homeless individuals in Johannesburg, South Africa. Guided by the social constructionist principle that “language produces and constructs” one's experience of oneself as well as that of the other, the study focused on participants' use of language as a representation of their reality, experiences and consequently their identities (Burr, 1995, p. 44). Following the transcription of semi-structured interviews conducted with participants, the study utilised a Foucauldian Discourse Analysis to determine the various identity discourses unsheltered individuals drew on as well as the subject positions they occupied and lastly to discern the agentic possibilities available to participants within these positions. Of the seven discourses identified, the two most prominent related to absence and the homeless identity itself. While subject positions were polarised between “good” and “bad” homelessness responses, they revealed sites of power and resistance along with mediated expressions of agency. Although these findings did not produce tangible intervention or policy outcomes, they illuminated the complexity not only of homelessness but the construction of identity and self within marginalised sectors of society. As a final contribution, the study presents a discursive base to consider the interpellated implications of discourse, power, and resistance within a subset of South Africa's homeless population. Keywords: Homelessness; Identity; Social Constructionism; Discourse Analysis; South Africa; Absence |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/40306 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | Eng |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | Department of Psychology |
| publisherStr | Department of Psychology |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/40306 Exploring Constructions of Self and Identity amongst South Africa s Homeless Population Francis, Aim e-Kariba Long, Wahbie Psychology Homelessness in South Africa has rapidly increased in recent years, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the majority of research into homelessness has focused on its causation and alleviation through macro-levelled interventions concerning housing, poverty and unemployment, not enough research has been dedicated to understanding homelessness from the perspective of those experiencing it. The following cross-sectional, qualitative study sought to investigate homelessness by exploring constructions of identity and self amongst a sample of 15 self-identified homeless individuals in Johannesburg, South Africa. Guided by the social constructionist principle that “language produces and constructs” one's experience of oneself as well as that of the other, the study focused on participants' use of language as a representation of their reality, experiences and consequently their identities (Burr, 1995, p. 44). Following the transcription of semi-structured interviews conducted with participants, the study utilised a Foucauldian Discourse Analysis to determine the various identity discourses unsheltered individuals drew on as well as the subject positions they occupied and lastly to discern the agentic possibilities available to participants within these positions. Of the seven discourses identified, the two most prominent related to absence and the homeless identity itself. While subject positions were polarised between “good” and “bad” homelessness responses, they revealed sites of power and resistance along with mediated expressions of agency. Although these findings did not produce tangible intervention or policy outcomes, they illuminated the complexity not only of homelessness but the construction of identity and self within marginalised sectors of society. As a final contribution, the study presents a discursive base to consider the interpellated implications of discourse, power, and resistance within a subset of South Africa's homeless population. Keywords: Homelessness; Identity; Social Constructionism; Discourse Analysis; South Africa; Absence 2024-07-04T13:54:00Z 2024-07-04T13:54:00Z 2024 2024-07-02T14:17:23Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40306 Eng application/pdf Department of Psychology Faculty of Humanities |
| spellingShingle | Psychology Francis, Aim e-Kariba Exploring Constructions of Self and Identity amongst South Africa s Homeless Population |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Exploring Constructions of Self and Identity amongst South Africa s Homeless Population |
| title_full | Exploring Constructions of Self and Identity amongst South Africa s Homeless Population |
| title_fullStr | Exploring Constructions of Self and Identity amongst South Africa s Homeless Population |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring Constructions of Self and Identity amongst South Africa s Homeless Population |
| title_short | Exploring Constructions of Self and Identity amongst South Africa s Homeless Population |
| title_sort | exploring constructions of self and identity amongst south africa s homeless population |
| topic | Psychology |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40306 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT francisaimekariba exploringconstructionsofselfandidentityamongstsouthafricashomelesspopulation |