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The rise and normalization of blessee/blesser relationships in South Africa: A post-colonial feminist analysis
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2020
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| _version_ | 1867613875766034432 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Zawu, Ruvimbo |
| author2 | Gouws, Amanda |
| author_browse | Gouws, Amanda Zawu, Ruvimbo |
| author_facet | Gouws, Amanda Zawu, Ruvimbo |
| author_sort | Zawu, Ruvimbo |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2020. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/109364 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:43:06.129Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publishDateRange | 2020 |
| publishDateSort | 2020 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/109364 The rise and normalization of blessee/blesser relationships in South Africa: A post-colonial feminist analysis Zawu, Ruvimbo Gouws, Amanda Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science. Intergenerational relations -- South Africa Transactional sex Women -- Sexual behavior Men -- Sexual behavior Sex role Postcolonialism -- South Africa Feminist theory Sexually transmitted diseases HIV infections UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2020. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In South Africa (SA), young urban black women are currently posting images of luxury items such as shoes, clothes and overseas trips on social media. These women claim that their luxury items and goods are gifts from their “blessers” or wealthy men in exchange for sex and companionship. This blessee/blesser exchange has led to the rise of the “blesser culture” on social media and highlights the prevalence of transactional sex for upward mobility and status amongst young urban black women in SA. This study provides a post-colonial feminist evaluation of young urban black women’s perceptions as well as motivations for engaging in these relationships.This dissertation argues that, although global research on the nature of sexualities and transactional sex (TS) located within health science and social anthropology has grown enormously, when examining sexualities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) research frameworks within these fields oversimplify the nature of African sexualities by focusing on HIV/AIDS transmission, vulnerability and risk. In addition, research in this field homogenizes gender inequalities by creating a profile of a poor woman, usually racialized as “black”, located within an abusive environment and deprived of information and education. On the other hand, “black” men are viewed as heterosexual, promiscuous and insensitive to their and other’s health. These images have created a limited understanding of sexualities in Africa because the conceptualizations of gender and sexualities often employ a static framework where conservative norms, understandings and practices of heterosexualities frame women as subordinate to men who perpetrate violence. In addition, discussions on sexualities and TS in Africa are dominated by Western gender discourses that shape and construct meanings and definitions relating to sexuality in ways that do not reflect African realities and narrow how sexuality is theorized and applied in many communities in SSA.This dissertation’s analysis challenges these static and Western biases of Eurocentric models of studying African women by contextualizing the nature of sexuality and transactional sex in South Africa. This research captures the core and complexity of transactional sexual relationships and demonstrates that young women seek blessers based on relative deprivation, to access a high-status lifestyle and upward social mobility and from a position of agency and power. Therefore, young women view blesser relationships as a mutually beneficial exchange that allows them to give sex to access the commodities of modernity. These accounts challenge dominant Western understandings of TS which frame women as powerless victims of men and illustrate the need to rethink our theoretical frameworks for transactional sex. Secondly, this research recommends expanding the scope of this study and analyse the experiences of men who are blessers in order to provide a holistic understanding of the nature of transactional sex in SA. Lastly, by researching the subjective narratives of women and men engaging in transactional sex in different regions of SA it will allow for both intervention and scholarship to move beyond narratives of young women as victims and older men as perpetrators while restoring African voices in the global arena. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Op sosiale media in Suid Afrika (SA) word talle foto’s van luukse items soos skoene, klere en buitelandse reise op sosiale media gedeel. Diė fotos word deur jong stedelike swart vroue geplaas. Hierdie vroue beweer dat hul luukse items en goedere geskenke is van hul “blesser” of welaf mans in ruil vir seks en kameraadskap. Die “blessee/blesser” verskynsel het gelei tot die opkoms van die "blesser kultuur” op sosiale media. Die kultuur beklemtoon transaksionele seks vir opwaartse mobiliteit en status onder jong stedelike swart vroue in SA. Hierdie studie bied 'n post-koloniale feministiese analise van jong stedelike swart vroue se persepsies en motiverings om by hierdie verhoudings betrokke te raak. Alhoewel wêreldwye navorsing oor die aard van seksualiteite en transaksionele seks (TS) in gesondheidswetenskap en sosiale antropologie geweldig uitgebrei het, is die ondersoek van seksualtiteite in Afrika, en spesifiek sub-Sahara Afrika (SSA) beperk. Hierdie tesis redeneer dat navorsing wat tot dusver uitgevoer is die aard van seksualiteite in Afrika vereenvoudig deur slegs te fokus op die oordrag van MIV/vigs kwesbaarheid en risiko. Navorsing in hierdie gebied vereenvoudig geslagsongelykhede deur 'n beeld te skep van swart arm vroue wat vasgevang is in ‘n omgewing van mishandeling wat hulle ontneem van inligting en opvoeding. Aan die ander kant word die ‘ blesser’ mans gesien as heteroseksueel, losbandig en onverantwoordelik in hul benadering to hul eie ander se gesondheid. Hierdie benaderings bied ‘n beperkte beeld van seksualiteite in Afrika omdat die konseptualisering van geslag en seksualiteite dikwels op 'n op statiese verwysingsraamwerk toegepas word. Diė raamwerk is gegrond op konserwatiewe norme, begrippe en praktyke wat vroue uitbeeld as ondergeskik aan gewelddadige mans. Voorts word narratiewe oor seksualiteite en TS in Afrika oorheers deur Westerse geslagsdiskoerse wat betekenisse en definisies met betrekking tot seksualiteit beinvloed en oorheers. Diė diskoerse is beperk en weerspieël nie hoe seksualiteit in baie gemeenskappe in SSA uitgeoefen word nie.Die navorsing en analise wat hierdie tesis bied, daag die Westerse vooroordeel van Eurosentriese modelle uit. Dit word gedoen deur die aard van seksualiteit en transaksionele seks in Suid-Afrika te ondersoek met ‘n proefgroep van vroue. Die kern en kompleksiteit van seksuele verhoudings word bevraagteken in hierdie tesis en wys dat jong vroue ‘blessers’ soek as gevolg van deprivasie, asook met die oog op toegang tot hoë status en opwaartse sosiale mobiliteit. Dit word gedoen uit ‘n posisie van mag en agentskap. Daarom sien jong vroue die “blesser” verhoudings as voordelige vir albei partye omrede die verhoudings hulle toelaat om seks te gee in ruil vir toegang tot bronne van rykdom. Dominante westerse sieninge oor transaksionele seks is gegrond op die idee dat vroue maglose slagoffers is van mans. Die bewyse in hierdie tesis daag dominante westerse sieninge van transaksionele seks uit aangesien dit wys dat daar ‘n hersiening van hierdie idees moet wees. Verder bied die tesis voorstelle vir die uitbreiding van die navorsing deur die ervarings van “blessers” te ondersoek. Die alternatiewe voorstelle sal kennis in die terrein uitbrei omrede dit ‘n gebalanseerde begrip van ‘blessee/blesser’ verskynsel in kan SA bied. Masters 2020-11-30T11:57:29Z 2021-01-31T19:46:47Z 2020-11-30T11:57:29Z 2021-01-31T19:46:47Z 2020-12 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/109364 en_ZA Stellenbosch University xiii, 129 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Intergenerational relations -- South Africa Transactional sex Women -- Sexual behavior Men -- Sexual behavior Sex role Postcolonialism -- South Africa Feminist theory Sexually transmitted diseases HIV infections UCTD Zawu, Ruvimbo The rise and normalization of blessee/blesser relationships in South Africa: A post-colonial feminist analysis |
| title | The rise and normalization of blessee/blesser relationships in South Africa: A post-colonial feminist analysis |
| title_full | The rise and normalization of blessee/blesser relationships in South Africa: A post-colonial feminist analysis |
| title_fullStr | The rise and normalization of blessee/blesser relationships in South Africa: A post-colonial feminist analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | The rise and normalization of blessee/blesser relationships in South Africa: A post-colonial feminist analysis |
| title_short | The rise and normalization of blessee/blesser relationships in South Africa: A post-colonial feminist analysis |
| title_sort | rise and normalization of blessee blesser relationships in south africa a post colonial feminist analysis |
| topic | Intergenerational relations -- South Africa Transactional sex Women -- Sexual behavior Men -- Sexual behavior Sex role Postcolonialism -- South Africa Feminist theory Sexually transmitted diseases HIV infections UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/109364 |
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