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An intersectional study of the experiences of first-year students within residences at Stellenbosch University

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.

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Main Author: Ayford, Jaime Lee
Other Authors: Lester, Claire-Anne Louise
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2024
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access_status_str Open Access
author Ayford, Jaime Lee
author2 Lester, Claire-Anne Louise
author_browse Ayford, Jaime Lee
Lester, Claire-Anne Louise
author_facet Lester, Claire-Anne Louise
Ayford, Jaime Lee
author_sort Ayford, Jaime Lee
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv Stellenbosch University
description Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
format Thesis
id oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/130474
institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:41:23.238Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2024
publishDateRange 2024
publishDateSort 2024
publisher Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
publisherStr Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
record_format dspace
source_str SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/130474 An intersectional study of the experiences of first-year students within residences at Stellenbosch University Ayford, Jaime Lee Lester, Claire-Anne Louise Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology. Interdisciplinary approach in education Undergraduates -- Social life and customs Students -- South Africa -- Stellenbosch Dormitories -- South Africa -- Stellenbosch Student movements South Africa. Commission of Inquiry into the Mandate and Location of the Directorate of Special Operations ('the DSO') Multicultural education UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In May 2022, a ‘white’ first-year student urinated on the belongings of a ‘black’ first-year student at the Huis Marias residence at Stellenbosch University (SU) this sparked outrage among the members of the university community and the larger South African society about the status of transformation at SU. This revived debate about racism at the University, initiated through the 2015 Open Stellenbosch student movement, led to the establishment of the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry. This study, conducted in 2020, engaged with first-year students living in single-sex and mixed-sex residences to explore how they made sense of belonging. I conducted seven semi-structured online interviews with first-year students coming from diverse backgrounds to explore how they experience, construct, navigate, and perform identity and belonging. Through using thematic analysis three major themes are derived from the data. The first theme was the ‘Gendered experiences’ of first-year students within university residences, and how these can create a sense of belonging if one identifies with it and a sense of exclusion if one deviates from it. The second theme was ‘living diversity’ and belonging at SU. This speaks to the various factors such as gender, race, sexuality, language, and other social identifications that impact one’s sense of belonging and how one uses one’s agency to navigate belonging within the space. The last theme was ‘Safety and safe spaces’, which draws out the many meanings of safety, such as physical safety from, as well as ‘safe spaces’ to engage with critical questions related to gender, race, and sexuality. Taking an intersectional and social constructivist approach to understanding race, gender, and sexuality, I argue that these identities are influenced by overarching historical discourses that permeate the residences and in turn generate context-specific racialised and gendered experiences. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In Mei 2022 het 'n 'wit' eerstejaarstudent op die besittings van 'n 'swart' eerstejaarstudent binne die Huis Marias-koshuis aan die Universiteit Stellenbosch (US) geurineer. verontwaardiging onder die lede van die Universiteitsgemeenskap en die groter Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing ontketen oor die status van transformasie aan die US. Dit het debatte oor rassisme by die Universiteit laat herleef, wat deur die 2015 Open Stellenbosch-studentebeweging geïnisieer is en gelei het tot die stigting van die Khampepe-kommissie van ondersoek. Hierdie studie, wat in 2020 uitgevoer is, het eerstejaarstudente wat in enkelgeslag- en gemengde-geslagkoshuise woon, betrek om te ondersoek hoe hulle sin gemaak het om te behoort. Ek het sewe semi-gestruktureerde aanlyn onderhoude gevoer met eerstejaarstudente wat uit verskillende agtergronde kom om te verken hoe hulle identiteit en behoort te ervaar, konstrueer, navigeer en uitvoer. Deur tematiese analise te gebruik, is drie hooftemas uit die data afgelei. Die eerste tema was die 'Geslagtelike ervarings' van eerstejaarstudente binne universiteitskoshuise, en hoe dit 'n gevoel van behoort te skep as 'n mens daarmee identifiseer en 'n gevoel van nie behoort as jy daarvan afwyk. Die tweede tema was 'om 'diversiteit' te leef en om aan die US te behoort.' Dit spreek tot die verskillende faktore soos geslag, ras, seksualiteit, taal en ander sosiale identifikasies wat 'n mens se gevoel van behoort beïnvloed en hoe hulle hul agentskap gebruik om behoort te navigeer binne die ruimte. Die laaste tema was 'Veiligheid en veilige ruimtes' wat die vele betekenisse van veiligheid na vore bring, as fisiese veiligheid van misdaad sowel as 'veilige ruimtes' om kritiese vrae oor geslag, ras en seksualiteit te betrek. Neem 'n interseksionele en sosiaal-konstruktivistiese benadering tot die verstaan van ras, geslag en seksualiteit; Ek argumenteer dat hierdie identiteite beïnvloed word deur oorkoepelende historiese diskoerse wat die koshuise deurdring en op hul beurt konteksspesifieke ras- en geslagtelike ervarings genereer. Stellenbosch University Masters 2024-03-05T15:30:05Z 2024-04-26T18:55:36Z 2024-03-05T15:30:05Z 2024-04-26T18:55:36Z 2024-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/130474 en Stellenbosch University iv, 121 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
spellingShingle Interdisciplinary approach in education
Undergraduates -- Social life and customs
Students -- South Africa -- Stellenbosch
Dormitories -- South Africa -- Stellenbosch
Student movements
South Africa. Commission of Inquiry into the Mandate and Location of the Directorate of Special Operations ('the DSO')
Multicultural education
UCTD
Ayford, Jaime Lee
An intersectional study of the experiences of first-year students within residences at Stellenbosch University
title An intersectional study of the experiences of first-year students within residences at Stellenbosch University
title_full An intersectional study of the experiences of first-year students within residences at Stellenbosch University
title_fullStr An intersectional study of the experiences of first-year students within residences at Stellenbosch University
title_full_unstemmed An intersectional study of the experiences of first-year students within residences at Stellenbosch University
title_short An intersectional study of the experiences of first-year students within residences at Stellenbosch University
title_sort intersectional study of the experiences of first year students within residences at stellenbosch university
topic Interdisciplinary approach in education
Undergraduates -- Social life and customs
Students -- South Africa -- Stellenbosch
Dormitories -- South Africa -- Stellenbosch
Student movements
South Africa. Commission of Inquiry into the Mandate and Location of the Directorate of Special Operations ('the DSO')
Multicultural education
UCTD
url https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/130474
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