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Who Cares? Work in South African Farmworker Homes: A Dialectical Materialist Methodology
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
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| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613976111611904 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Wiltshire, Anne Hilda |
| author2 | Fakier, Khayaat |
| author_browse | Fakier, Khayaat Wiltshire, Anne Hilda |
| author_facet | Fakier, Khayaat Wiltshire, Anne Hilda |
| author_sort | Wiltshire, Anne Hilda |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131973 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:44:41.678Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131973 Who Cares? Work in South African Farmworker Homes: A Dialectical Materialist Methodology Wiltshire, Anne Hilda Fakier, Khayaat Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology. Agricultural laborers -- Migration -- South Africa Temporary employment -- Agricultural laborers -- Social conditions Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa Dialectical materialism Socialist feminism Child labor -- South Africa Fundamental rights -- Children Child abuse -- South Africa UCTD Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation investigates the social issue surrounding farmworkers who transition out of temporary employment for work in homes. It employs Social Reproduction Theory (SRT) as both eminent social theory of work in homes (Hopkins, 2017) and as dialectical materialist methodology (Davis, 1981; Federici, 1998; Bhattacharya, 2017a,b; McNally, 2017). The findings suggest that despite SRT’s neglect to research workers in homes as inclusive of children, given the advancements in Childhood Studies and Social Reproduction Feminism (SRF) SRT has begun theorising child work in homes. The philosophical analyses examine the underpinnings of SRT’s dialectical materialist methodology. The ontological analysis argues dialectical materialism excels at rendering the best understandings of social phenomena. This is because dialectical materialism is not only a social theory, but also a method of enquiry. The epistemological analysis finds dialectical materialism further distinguished as social scientific methodology for its comparative method, empirical grounding, and scientific evidence-based pursuit of knowledge. The theoretical and conceptual analyses reveal SRT’s methodological limitations. SRT has significantly broadened its narrowly concrete theorisation of work in homes of white Anglo-American middle-class adult women. Yet, SRT's 'strategic essentialism' (Hochschild, 2003) conceptualises concretes of work, has yet to reach conceptual consensus, and a rigorous conceptualisation of work, in homes. This dissertation theorises work abstractly. This heeds Marx methodology and suggestion that work in the social economy “be treated and analysed according to the existing empirical data” (1932: 49) to derive concrete social theories. The research design was informed by the comparative method SRT’s dialectical materialism methodology. Qualitative data was collected at three points in time over one year from quotas of 12 farmworking women stratified by residence (farm/town) and employment (permanent/temporary). Validation of the findings necessitated an abductive analysis to triangulate the empirical findings with parallel data from Childhood Studies, SRF, and Social Reproduction in Education (SRE), in addition to SRT. The historical analyses reveal a social reorganisation of work, workers, and workplaces, emphasising the importance of contextualising social research. Nineteenth century ‘child workers’ have been reconceived adult ‘workers’; and, ‘child scholars’ and whom without adult supervisionary ‘care’ are ‘neglected’ children. The contemporary analysis finds despite prohibition of child employment, even in agriculture, the hours of child work in schools have yet to be renegotiated in over 200 years, especially for the youngest most vulnerable scholars. This dissertation emphasises the value of dialectical materialism as social scientific methodology. It raises concern for the Social State of Neglect of vulnerable children, especially during employment hours. It proposes urgent national and international social policy reforms to address the social disjunctures in the social organisation of work, achieve the ‘Social’ objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and ensure the fundamental and paramount Rights of children to ‘care’ and protection from ‘neglect’. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie proefskrif ondersoek die sosiale kwessie rondom plaaswerkers wat van tydelike werk na werk in huise oorskakel. Sosiale Reproduksieteorie (SRT) word aangewend as beide die vooruitstaande sosiale teorie oor werk in huise (Hopkins, 2017) en dialekties-materialistiese metodologie (Davis, 1981; Federici, 1998; Bhattacharya, 2017a,b; McNally, 2017). Die bevindinge dui daarop dat ten spyte van SRT se aanvanklike verwaarlosing van kinderarbeid in huishoudings, het die teorie, gegrond op vooruitgang in Kinderstudies en Sosiale Reproduksiefeminisme (SRF), begin om kinderarbeid te teoretiseer. Die filosofiese ontledings ondersoek die grondslae van SRT se dialekties-materialistiese metodologie. Die ontologiese analise voer aan dat dialektiese materialisme uitblink in die verkryging van die beste begrip van sosiale verskynsels. Dit is omdat dialektiese materialisme nie net 'n sosiale teorie is nie, maar ook 'n navorsingsmetode. Die epistemologiese analise bevind dat dialektiese materialisme verder onderskei word as 'n metodologie vir die sosiale wetenskappe danksy sy vergelykende metode, en empiriese wetenskaplike grondslag. Die teoretiese en konseptuele ontledings openbaar SRT se metodologiese beperkinge. SRT het weliswaar sy voorheen smal en konkrete teorie oor werk in huise deur wit, Anglo-Amerikaanse, middelklas vroue aansienlik uitgebrei. Tog het SRT se 'strategiese essensialisme' (Hochschild, 2003) se konceptualisering van die konkrete aspekte van werk in huise nog nie tot 'n streng, op bewyse gebaseerde konseptualisering gelei nie. Hierdie proefskrif teoretiseer werk in huise op 'n abstrakte wyse. Dit volg sodoende Marx se metodologie en voorstel dat werk in die sosiale ekonomie "behandel en ontleed moet word volgens die bestaande empiriese data" (1932: 49) om konkrete sosiale teorieë te ontwikkel. Die navorsingsontwerp is ingelig deur die vergelykende metode van SRT se dialekties-materialistiese metodologie. Kwalitatiewe data is oor 'n tydperk van een jaar op drie tydstipte ingesamel van kwota-steekproewe van 12 vroulike plaaswerkers wat gestratifiseer is volgens woonplek (plaas/dorp) en indiensneming (permanent/tydelik). Validering van die bevindings het 'n abduktiewe analise vereis om die empiriese bevindinge te triangeleer met parallelle data uit Kinderstudies, SRF, en Sosiale Reproduksie in Onderwys, benewens SRT. Die historiese ontledings onthul 'n sosiale herorganisering van werk, werkers en werkplekke, wat die belangrikheid van kontekstualisering in sosiale navorsing beklemtoon. "Kinderwerkers" van die 19de eeu is herkonseptualiseer as volwasse "werkers"; en "kinderskolekinders" en dié sonder volwasse toesig-"sorg" word as "verwaarloosde" kinders beskou. Die kontemporê re analise toon dat, ten spyte van die verbod op kinderarbeid selfs in landbou, die ure van kinderarbeid in skole nog nie in meer as 200 jaar heronderhandel is nie. Hierdie proefskrif beklemtoon die waarde van dialektiese materialisme as sosiale wetenskaplike metodologie. Dit wek kommer oor die sosiale verwaarlosing van kwesbare kinders, veral tydens werkure. Dit stel voor dat dringende nasionale en internasionale hervormings van sosiale beleid nodig is om die sosiale diskontinuï teite in die sosiale organisering van werk aan te spreek, die "Sosiale" doelstellings van die Volhoubare Ontwikkelingsdoelwitte (VOG's) te bereik, en die fundamentele en oppermagtige regte van kinders op 'sorg' en beskerming teen 'verwaarlosing' te verseker. Doctoral 2025-05-02T13:52:50Z 2025-05-02T13:52:50Z 2024-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131973 en Stellenbosch University xiv, 241 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Agricultural laborers -- Migration -- South Africa Temporary employment -- Agricultural laborers -- Social conditions Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa Dialectical materialism Socialist feminism Child labor -- South Africa Fundamental rights -- Children Child abuse -- South Africa UCTD Wiltshire, Anne Hilda Who Cares? Work in South African Farmworker Homes: A Dialectical Materialist Methodology |
| title | Who Cares? Work in South African Farmworker Homes: A Dialectical Materialist Methodology |
| title_full | Who Cares? Work in South African Farmworker Homes: A Dialectical Materialist Methodology |
| title_fullStr | Who Cares? Work in South African Farmworker Homes: A Dialectical Materialist Methodology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Who Cares? Work in South African Farmworker Homes: A Dialectical Materialist Methodology |
| title_short | Who Cares? Work in South African Farmworker Homes: A Dialectical Materialist Methodology |
| title_sort | who cares work in south african farmworker homes a dialectical materialist methodology |
| topic | Agricultural laborers -- Migration -- South Africa Temporary employment -- Agricultural laborers -- Social conditions Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa Dialectical materialism Socialist feminism Child labor -- South Africa Fundamental rights -- Children Child abuse -- South Africa UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131973 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT wiltshireannehilda whocaresworkinsouthafricanfarmworkerhomesadialecticalmaterialistmethodology |