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Making sense of the message: An analysis of the editor’s letter in three archetypal South African women’s magazines at the start of the 21st century
Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2021.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2021
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| _version_ | 1867613898567319552 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Rossouw, Elna |
| author2 | Rabe, Lizette |
| author_browse | Rabe, Lizette Rossouw, Elna |
| author_facet | Rabe, Lizette Rossouw, Elna |
| author_sort | Rossouw, Elna |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2021. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/123745 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:43:27.297Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publishDateRange | 2021 |
| publishDateSort | 2021 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/123745 Making sense of the message: An analysis of the editor’s letter in three archetypal South African women’s magazines at the start of the 21st century Rossouw, Elna Rabe, Lizette Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Journalism. Archetype (Psychology) in mass media Women's mass media -- 21st century -- South Africa Editorials -- Women periodicals -- 21st century -- South Africa UCTD Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2021. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The notion of a magazine as “social barometer” in a particular era is widely acknowledged. Moreover, it is argued that women’s magazines especially provide essential information about society and cultures, including in the “messages” conveyed in the editors’ letters to their respective audiences. Since South Africa’s democratisation, the political and socio-economic contexts in the country have changed noticeably, and the euphoria associated with the naissance of democracy has dissipated. This study sets out to determine the “message” in the editors’ letter of three archetypal South African women’s magazines during the first 17 years of the 21st century. It is situated within Production-Based Research on women’s magazines, while Critical Political Economy (CPE), advancing to Contemporary Political Economy, and Feminism were utilised as the theoretical points of departure. These paradigms offer an all-inclusive analysis of the “message” in the editors’ letters in the three “alpha” women’s magazines studied. As such, the study attempts to “make sense of the message” in SARIE, FAIRLADY and TRUELOVE – the selected magazines. Historiography as research method is applied to give context to South African magazine studies. This is followed by Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) – employing ATLAS.ti® as a software package – to determine how the editors’ letters reflect on the political and socio-economic contexts in South Africa. Historiography confirmed the powerful relationship between magazines and societies, and the concept of the magazine as “social barometer”. It corroborated that magazines mirror society, and vice versa. The QCA deduced that the origin and development of the three magazines were set against their specific ideological views and market-driven ideals in response to political and socio-economic contexts. Thus, in “making sense of the message” in these magazines, I infer that these magazines reflect the political and socio-economic issues of a young, democratic society and thereby are “social barometers” of their time. The study confirms the statement by Jane Raphaely, doyenne of South African women’s magazines, that women’s magazines gave “women in South Africa a significant soapbox with a huge sound system that allowed even the softest voice to reverberate as a very loud shout”. It can be concluded that this study proves the importance of media content, and specifically the editor’s letter of a women’s magazine, as a powerful instrument to persuade, inspire and inform the audience, proving that a magazine, through the voice or “message” of the editor, acts as “social barometer” of its time. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die voorstelling van ’n tydskrif as “sosiale barometer” van ’n bepaalde tydperk word wyd erken. Voorts word aangevoer dat veral vrouetydskrifte noodsaaklike inligting oor samelewinge en kulture, met inbegrip van die “boodskappe” soos in die redakteursbrief, aan hul onderskeie gehore bied. Sedert Suid-Afrika se demokratisering het die politieke en sosio-ekonomiese kontekste in die land merkbaar verander, en die euforie van demokrasie verdamp. Die studie stel ten doel om die “boodskap” in die redakteursbrief van drie argetipiese Suid-Afrikaanse vrouetydskrifte tydens die eerste 17 jaar van die 21ste eeu te bepaal. Dit is op die Produksie- Gebaseerde Navorsing oor vrouetydskrifte gegrond, terwyl Kritiese Politieke Ekonomie, wat lei na Hedendaagse Politieke Ekonomie, en Feminisme die teoretiese vertrekpunte is. Die studie poog dus om “sin te maak van die boodskap” in SARIE, FAIRLADY en TRUELOVE, as die geselekteerde tydskrifte. Historiografie word as navorsingsmetode toegepas om aan Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrifstudies betekenis te gee. Dit word gevolg deur Kwalitatiewe Inhoudsontleding en die gebruik van ATLAS.ti® as ’n sagteware pakket om te bepaal hoe die redakteursbriewe in die geselekteerde tydskrifte die politieke en sosio-ekonomiese kontekste in Suid-Afrika weerspieel. Die Historiografie bevestig die kragtige verhouding tussen tydskrifte en samelewinge en die konsep van die tydskrif as “sosiale barometer”. Dit bevestig dat tydskrifte die samelewing weerspieel en andersom. Die kwalitatiewe inhoudsontleding lei af dat die oorsprong en ontwikkeling van die drie tydskrifte met hul spesifieke ideologiese sieninge en markgedrewe mikpunte binne heersende politieke en sosio-ekonomiese toestande in Suid-Afrika in verband gebring word. Dus, om “sin te maak van die boodskap” in hierdie tydskrifte voer ek aan dat vrouetydskrifte die politieke en sosio-ekonomiese kwessies van ’n jong demokratiese samelewing weerspieel, en dus “sosiale barometers” van hul tyd is. Die studie bevestig die stelling van Jane Raphaely – doyenne van Suid-Afrikaanse vrouetydskrifte – dat vrouetydskrifte “vroue in Suid-Afrika ’n belangrike seepkis met ’n groot klankstelsel gegee het wat selfs die sagste stem as ’n baie harde kreet laat weerklink”. Die gevolgtrekking is dat hierdie studie die belangrikheid van media-inhoud, en spesifiek die redakteursbrief in ’n vrouetydskrif, as ’n kragtige instrument om die gehoor te oorreed, te inspireer en in te lig, bewys, en onderstreep dat dit deur middel van die stem, of “boodskap” van die redakteur, as ’n “sosiale barometer” van die tydvak dien. Doctoral 2021-11-09T14:29:14Z 2021-12-22T14:19:02Z 2021-11-09T14:29:14Z 2021-12-22T14:19:02Z 2021-12 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/123745 en_ZA Stellenbosch University xviii, 278 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Archetype (Psychology) in mass media Women's mass media -- 21st century -- South Africa Editorials -- Women periodicals -- 21st century -- South Africa UCTD Rossouw, Elna Making sense of the message: An analysis of the editor’s letter in three archetypal South African women’s magazines at the start of the 21st century |
| title | Making sense of the message: An analysis of the editor’s letter in three archetypal South African women’s magazines at the start of the 21st century |
| title_full | Making sense of the message: An analysis of the editor’s letter in three archetypal South African women’s magazines at the start of the 21st century |
| title_fullStr | Making sense of the message: An analysis of the editor’s letter in three archetypal South African women’s magazines at the start of the 21st century |
| title_full_unstemmed | Making sense of the message: An analysis of the editor’s letter in three archetypal South African women’s magazines at the start of the 21st century |
| title_short | Making sense of the message: An analysis of the editor’s letter in three archetypal South African women’s magazines at the start of the 21st century |
| title_sort | making sense of the message an analysis of the editor s letter in three archetypal south african women s magazines at the start of the 21st century |
| topic | Archetype (Psychology) in mass media Women's mass media -- 21st century -- South Africa Editorials -- Women periodicals -- 21st century -- South Africa UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/123745 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rossouwelna makingsenseofthemessageananalysisoftheeditorsletterinthreearchetypalsouthafricanwomensmagazinesatthestartofthe21stcentury |