ZSBLJ&s. - Historical Papers, Wits University · 2013. 9. 18. · Type» "PUB’:^AL S0C1 STY". Ths...
Transcript of ZSBLJ&s. - Historical Papers, Wits University · 2013. 9. 18. · Type» "PUB’:^AL S0C1 STY". Ths...
ZSBLJ&s.
own ereative capacities toward* constructive manipulation
of thair own environment, as it is now, and whatever it
will become.
Whatever this anvronment is, its hazards, its very
unpredictability and harshness, provide the challenge to
which the* must find their own creative responses, and only
so will they be able to attain that end which is the birth
right of all men.v1'
■hethar this supreme purpose of African society will be
in harmony with what European society in South Africa con
siders its own birthright, has been left out of consideration*
neither the furtherance and maintenance of "white" civilisation
in South Africa, nor the guiding of African society towards
this aim, can be accepted, conscientiously, by me as a purpose.
X have tried to direct my valuations towards what 1 , in good
faith, conceive as the "good" of African society in terms of
ths above creative response* Whether this is necessarily
also the "good" of European society has been left out of
considsration* Whether there Is a "comssunu® bonus" for both,
whilst each preserves Its own identity, 1 do not know. Hence
even such an aim as peaceful co-operation and what is needed
to bring this about has not been considered* Co-operation
needs two co-operating parties, and for this ths "needs” of
iSuropsan society would also havs to be studied*
The organisations havs been studlsd for the purpose of
yielding information about the needs of African women* They
have been assssssd as to the degree and nature of their need-
aatlsfaction. The needs have been interpreted, not as
adjustment needs, but as transitional needs, not aa what the
women require to adjust themselves in a restricted and i n
definable “Western environment", but as what the women require
to start acting as creative agsnts of their destiny, adapting
the given environment in suoh a way that they introduce
changes and obtain mastery over it, which alone will enable
them to wrest from it the greatest potentialities for the
fulfilment of their higher aspirations, whioh are the higher
aspirations of mankind.
Any further definitions of those higher aspirations, must
be left to the evolving Africans themselves to define.
I * • * . * *
(l) hen, in the Funeral Booletiee, African women try to recreate certain values of their tribal “Harvest Festival” in their annual party, then thie is not an adjustment to their environment, but an adaptation of thair environment through a creative act*
M O D S o r P B 1 3 I I T A T I O S
The attempt has bs»n mada to compeneate for unavoidable
incompletenses by pattern, end for the laok of quantitative
and detailed data by «jfr?.?fing SLualitative,,£r&oiplga.
To this end the organisations have been olaasifisd In
types according to oertain main iurposes»-
Typei "YAltYAffO". These ars the ^o m d ' i organisations of
ths Christian Churches. Thsir determining factor is
" raying and Preaching" during weekly-held religious
meetings. The membsrs wsar uniform.
Typsi "S?QCfgL" - This terra dsnotss a variety of clubs,
societies sad or&snisationa, ths determining factors
of whioh arc* a "pooling" of monies or goods, whioh
go to sach member of ths group in rotation, end/or a
"party" which enables ths hostsss to earn eome money
by oatering.
Type» "PUB’:^AL S0C1STY" . Ths dstsrmining factor 1st
assistsnos to ths bereaved in ths form of money and
asrvicss. Additional forms of mutual aid ars
generally included.
Types "CuM^UHlTY SiianCB". The do terra in ing f so tor is*
fund-raising and/or earning for a concrete object,
which performs a nsossaary ssrvios for ths community*
Typsi "tteMBiUtaas CLUB". Ths dstsrmining factor is'
improvement of hone end feminine eelf by lectures
and demonstrations.
Typsi "YOUTH ORQASI NATION". Ths dstermining factor isi
to provide young psopls with some form of discipline
and lslsurs-tims aotivitiss outside schoolhours.
The order in which the typss of organisations *re M U M M k
(with ths sxosption of ths last-mentioned), aa well as ths sequence
in whioh the forms of sach type are dealt with, represents gensrally
sa ascsndin< order from ths mors African-patterned to the more
Surepsan-structured. This, however, could not always be maintained.
For instance / • . . . .
fcfgf JI-
For instance, ia the Stockfel type, the order of presentation
has been arranged so that it lsads from the more simple to the
more oomplioated organisational forms, which does not always
coincide with the more African or European forms*
Manyano and 'tockfel are the organisations most congenial
to African women, and they are numerically the most important*
They are certainly also the oldest voluntary organisations*
Hence these are the first to be dealt with.
The Funeral Societies, the Community Service Groupa, and
the Homemakers Clubs are dealt with in this order, which re
presents an ascending line in respect of purpose and members'
relationships.
The Funeral Societies are groupings for a direct, concrete
purpoee or purposes, which affeot eaoh member individually*
Group-oohsrence is maintained by concrete mutual obligations*
Ths Community Servioe Groups are groupings for a direct
ooncrste purpose, which is of benefit to the group* Group-
ooherence is maintained mainly by the fact that members have
individual benefit from the oommon purpose*
The Homemakers Clubs are groupings for aa indirect
purpoee, which is personal' yet commonly shared* The indirect
purpose is broken down into little direot purposes* Group-
coherenoe is maintained by shared Interests.
The absence of Trading Societies may strike the reader as
it did the investigator* This is in marked oontrast to West
Africa where, according to information, these constitute prac
tically the only type of women*e organisation* If these exiet
in Johannesburg or Durbsn, thsy hare not been found* Whatever
exiets resembling Trading Societies is developed along linee eo
similar to Stookfel procedures, that thsy have been inoluded
under that type* And on the whole theee were more developed in
Durban (where the women are more readily taking to trading) than
in Johsnneeburg*
It may be queried why, as ordsr of presentation, the
organisational/technical features rather than the needs were
chosen. The main reasons for this are that each organisation
shows ths existence and attempt at satisfaction of too many and
too variegated needs, that the same needs occur in widely differ
ing organisations, and that a full description of the more im
portant European organisations had in any ease to be given*
The /* . .* *
The needs havs been allowed to emerge from the description
of the organisations* The whole pattern of organisational
behaviour often sxprssses a need.
The order of presentation followed within each type of
organisation has been the result of a not always successful
attempt at uniformity. After an enumeration of the different
forms studied, a description of the main organisations of that
type follows. Then fellows an analytical part which is some
times preceded by a review of the main needs pertaining to
these organisations, whilst sometimes the needs are allowed to
emerge from the analytical part Itself.
In the descriptive parts* Z have tried to present the
facts of on organisation according to logical categories» facts
such as ore generally to be found in the Annual Be ports, Consti
tutions and other printed material concerning the organisation's
activities*
In the analytical part, however, evaluations of ths facts
enter the picture, since the selection of significant features
and the arrangement of the various aspects of the organisation's
activities under certain general headings are already governed by
the general aim in views to show the needs end the way these are
met*
Hence the evaluation which generally completes a chapter is
a© more than a general summing up of conclusions which havs been
pare pared and developed previously*
This is ths inevitable result of an investigation in which
needs and organisations have been from the start closely inter
linked, but I hope that, in this way, certain needs have become
uncovered, less concrete and lees obvious needs, but none the less
urgent ones*
While collecting ay material, certain recurring patterns
and certain general facts about women and organisations emerged.
It seemed aore useful to gather these and insert them under
separate headings at the beginning rather than at the end as
"findings". In this way, they can serve the reader as a general
introduction /* .* •
introduction to the subject and facilitate the understanding of
•onetines conpiex situations. The general chapter on "logon%
as well ss the general ohapter on " otn in organi»fttiflngw
originated in this way.
It also beoatte necessary to introduoe a ohapter on the
energing class structure* since the concept "claes" is neoaeaarjr
for this enquisy•
Certain general problem^ affecting urban African women of
Johannesburg which emerged from this investigation and which,
although they nay not fall directly under the tern "needs", never
theless play their part all along in the life of the women, hacwe
been discussed in connection with those organisations where they
sssmed most in evidence. This seemed the best way out, although
it required the rather irritating introduction of cross references,
as well as tha possibly even more irritating subdivision of some
of the problems*
Thue the problem of Christianity naturally fell under the
i£anysnos. The problem of sex and sex behaviour had to be dieoussed
under the Manyano* and under Youth organisations. Ths problsm of
sdueated versus uneducated women has bees discussed under ths Home-
makers Clubs, that of the younger versus the older generation, how
ever, hsd to be discussed partly under any an os and partly under
Homemakers Clubs. The problem of the husbands naturally penetrates
all organisations, but is discussed mainly under Class Structure,
Emancipation of tfomen and the Community Service Groups. The problem
of pre-eohool and non—school—going children falls under Community
Service Groups and under Youth Organisations.
If thsss questions hsd been discussed in their totality at
the beginning, some aspacts would have had to be repeated in the
discussion of the organisations in which they are particularly in
evidence.
There ie already sufficient repetition, which is inevitable
and is due to the interrelation of all problems.
Since 1 do not oonaider that I have been able to follow a
consistent method, the whole notion has been emitted, but the In
troductory section on Approach gives the basic ldeae, whioh are *
specified further in a section entitled Sources of Information.
A section on Sources of Interpretation became necessary beoauae of
the evaluational character of this inquiry and finally, and for the
a an a reason, It was ssssntial to state very clearly and explicitly
the value premises used, and the reasons why ths purpose towards
whioh the needs had to be related had to be rephrased.
Illustrative / • . . .
Illustrative and evidential mat-a rial has bean, after long
hesitation, divided into what ia essential to follow tha argument
sad understand ths trend of tha general text, and what can ha die-
peneed with, yet livens and dsapens ths general picture* Ths
former has bean inserted in the text, and the latter has been
added in an ap endix. any of the latter oases are illustrative
of sore than ons feature or trend.
Finally, refertnoea to existing literature have hem
linited to the indispensihls, and are only given where it was
felt that a statement needed authoritative support which
applied specially in the field of anthropology, and where
direot quotations are given.
Similarly, it had to he assumed that the general
information relating to housing, schooling, urbanisation,
increase in the nunbsr of urban womsn, i*e* certain basic
facts about urban Africans* Is known.
A P P R O A C H
The approach finally adopted aa most suitable to achieve
the purpose of this enquiry, has been influenced by the following
factors*-
1) The fact that a new field had to be opened op by some
body inexperienced in the eetablishsd techniques of ths
relsvsnt soisnoss and a newcomer to the subjsot* It was
necsssary to open up and to keep open as many souress of
information aa pc Bible* At the outset thsre was no basis
for determining what was important and what was not.
Ltsnos, nothing was dsemed too frivolous or futlls, no
souros of possible evidence was laid aside, no theme was
declared irrelevant* If one does not know what to look
for, one must obvlottely look for and at everything.
Although gradually certain patterns seemed to emerge
froia which a lead could be obtained as to subsequent
probing, yet one had always to remain aware of and ready
for the possibilities of new eouroee, while continuing to
explore those already taken up.
That, in this way, a mass of matsrial has been oolleoted
ranging over the most varied subjects, some of which h*?e
not oven reoslvsd a brief mention, ie the inevitable result.
2) lae limitation in. time aa against ths vaatness of th* field
to be explored* This has influenced an ap^roaoh more
directed towarce trends than faots, towards certain basie
principles rather than towards minute deeorlption*
3) The evaluations! purpose of ths investigation, which has
influenced the approach more in the direction of "depth"
than "apread"* In order to be able to evaluate with any
ohanee of validity, a.aualltativj fi£fj%agh is necessary,
which requires dseper and understanding knowledge more
than mere deeorlption or enumeration*
4) Th#. general, inter-racial situation. In this respect
my first lnprs*»ions, as statsd in my Preliminary Rsrort,
have been fully substantiated.^ And in the year of thie
investigation/* * *«
(l) 1 also refer to what has been said under thie heading in thsffursss Report*
investigation, the situation has nppreeisMj worsened. It
has been * year in which ths Government Volley of * ’apart-
hsid* st sll coste" has manifested itself in more intense form.
Verily, a mors unfavourable atmosphere for individual con
tents across the colour line could hardly be created* ted
this tragic fact has been ths greatest single obstacle en
countered in this research. To gain, in a short tins, ths
oonfidenoe of some African women, is very difficult* And it
was this which had to bs done, sines, at ths outset, I startsd
without knowing one single African woman* Since the complete
Western &reas Survey tad the subsequent threat of removal,
ifriosns nave become even more auspicious of all invsatlgm-
tions* And women are, by nature I believe, more suspicious
then men, beosuae they understand less of stoat is actually
happening, luropesne with long contacts with sons women
J stil; have their oonfidenoe, but this was nut ®y privilege.
% previous long yeare of experience and contact with other
fon-Suropeane have been a considerable help, as was also ths
fast that I had no instinctive or initial "colour bar feeling"
to conquer la mysslf* Gonverssly, ths fact that i wss a
“foreigner" made me more easily acceptable to the women.
i
J) Th. » n .r » I fluidity ,f th. •t«u«Uan. * . at. Uvlog in
times of great and profound changes. What is valid today
may not bs valid tomorrow. This wakes » historical view
point wellnigh imperative* The organisations have been
studisd as dynamically evolving processes* the eessnce of
which cannot be extracted from their appearance at a
particular moment of time. I have throughout enquired after
their origin, sad have found this, moreover, useful in dis
covering needs.
An initial difficulty is that the women in African-run
organisations have difficulty in tolling the story of their
organisation. It could seldom be obtained from only one
person, net even from the founder, and it had to be pieced
together fro® the statements of various participants, which
statements were sometimes contradictory* ivmn in furopssn-
run organisations, historical records are seldom available.
The frequent changes in personnel make reliable historical
information difficult to obtain, whilst the leading figures
were often disinclined to confide to an obssrver the story
of trial and srrer upon which thsir organisation naturally
m »t be built.
Two sore general cons ids rati one have also influenced my
approach*
6) The /
6) .The. int»rrelatlon otLMtn^e b u m . Ia the «tudy of m b ,
contrary tc the study of nature* the phenomena to be studied
cannot be isolated. To single out cor tain phenomena for
specialised study without due referencs to a larger context
is to place thsm in an artificial vacuum, the ratified
atmosphere of the 1aboratory» away from ths reality ia
which thsy haws their existence. The only way tc study
Man is against the background of the whole Universe*
in the many problems end needs of urban African womsn, there
ie a deep unity between ths problems themselves, as well ae
between these problems end the whole African problem|
between these and the Lluropsaa problem in South Africa{
between the latter an<3 the problems of our continent |
which again are part end parcel of the general world
problems of today*
The impact of Western Civilisation on the Sea-:urops«n
l«opies of the world is a universal phenomenon which sets
off chain reactions in all »aa~urcpean countries* What
is happsniag in Megro America or on the Odd Coast directly
influences the iouth African Bantu and the South Afri c«n
white person*
Baeh aspect of a particular problem in the Johannesburg
locations can be underetcod only within this total context*
in every facet of an African woman's life is mirrorred the
whole picture.^1 '
Where ie a halt to be called to the interrelations of all
these fields of oaueation? A qualitative study must pose
the question and give an answer. % point ef ’’halt" hae
been set after the interrelations of the African problems
between themselves* Only rarely hae a passing comparison
been made with the European aspect* At first it is hardly
posslbls to refrain from such comparison*
The interrelations of the African problems between the»-
selves are in themselves sufficiently complex* Fro® what
ever angle one approaches a particular aspect of a woman's
life one finds oneself, in trying to understand it, either
running around in circles, "the vicious circle", or one hits
one's head against the wall, callsd "the basic facte of the
colour bar1'* In avoiding both, an investigation runs the
risk of either oversimplifying the situation, ©r becoming
repetitive ad nausesm by re-statement of these “basic facte".
7) The subjective / • • * •
This fundamental philosophical problem was found represented insociological terms in "The irinciple of Cumulation", unnar yrdal,"An m arican ‘ ilemna" . Hew York, Tth Mltion, ?ol*2, Appendix 3*
I s a .M
7) The .S.uktogl^.*teBSSl^” *** distinc
tion U often made between ths so-called "subjsctivs" and
the so-called " objective" aspects of a situation, i*«,
botwsen what is called th® "reality situation'* and the
emotional attitudes towards this situation# The implication
is that what w* feel about a situation is net aa real aa
the fasta of the situation itself*
If the apr-roach adopted in this study has been rathe* eueh
m to i m attention to the subjective aspects of thia«a,
this has been dose far two reaeons*
a) The "reality situation** is* on the whole, only too
well known* Xt sea«o usslsss once more to establish
aush "basic facts**, or to prove that they also apply
to the women*
b) The "reality situation** bsloafs in the present African
set up to the real® of the "Acts of God", squally un
predictable, unavoidable and unchangeable. The only
change which can possibly be brought about, and towards
which ^uropsans can possibly still assist, is in ths
people*s attitude towards this situation.
These considerations Isad to eons final aattsrs of Approach*
Tha necessity for ^jflljrtllsntlana
This was gradually brought hone to ms« Tot, In the fluidity
of th® situation, the multiplicity and unevenness of th* transitions,
it is hardly possible to teak* valid generalisations* Africans has*
besom* greatly differentiated. ' 1 ‘ Th* mods* of assimilation into
urban life and of %eetem traits vary oonsidsrably and cover a widsr
rang* than ia European society. Cine triee to find common denomina
tors, yet for every statement mads about any number of women, an
equal number of exceptions can be brought forward. It tbsrsfore
finally beoemee a matter of emphasis) one can stress how extensive
has been the adoption of Western patterns, and one can stress how
limited this adoption has been*
If my ap: roach tends to ovsr-gsneraliaation, which mi^ht wall
be, but cannot be judged by myself, this may bs due to the fact that
a y knowledge of English simply doss not contain enough way* of con
ditional phrasing, and b*caus* on* cannot repeat every time that ao
generalisation is valid*
ff“ ft j.* frt iv e / .............
(X) See Chapter on the Claae Structure .
The subjective element.
This doss not antor beo&use on* studies tha subjective aspect
of thinga, since this can be objectively observed and impartially
recorded. It enteri* through interpretation of tha facts, and this
la ultimately dependent on on#'a personal philosophy and one's pre
vious axperience and past knowledge* As to tha former, one can do
no store than state tha fundamental value premises implied therein
clearly and explicitly! as to tha latter* it say ha necessary to
sake these known.
As an Orientalist studying specially Islamic culture* I lived
continuously for some years in coubtries in the Hear sad Far i>ast,
cost of ths time entirely aiaongst Persian* Arab* Turkish* Egyptian
and Indian m s lists* and Indian Hindus* Before that I had soae
years in various Lu rope an universities studying mainly subjects
relating to the History and Transmittance of Ideas.
Z believe the two smia influences i'roa thsse past experiences
are*
That I have learned to see Western Civilisation with the
eyes of Son-Tiurepeans and have learned to respect the
*ethcr-»eseM of peopless
That 2 cannot but compare Africans with other Hon-fcuropeans
of sty acquaintance, and that the distinction between
"prirritivs" and “civilised" societies is for no an sver
present reality*
The approach adopted la qualitative* dynamic* exploratory*
covering a vast and varied range of subjects* It has inevitably
been influenced by chance* by the general difficulties of inter
racial contacts in a town like Johannesburg, by the look of living*’
contact and the ability to speak a Bantu language* It has been
such as to attempt a picture of the whole, in spite of the limitation
in time* and it has atreessd attitudes* motives* feelings and moods.
Moreover* the reader had better be warned beforehand that ha
is entering a “woman's world*, in which things are viewed from a
woman *s sngle and men only come in as "husbands" aad "fathers".
Ths inevitable ovsr-s»i'hasis on wcaen and women's ways may serve
as a useful foil to ether researches in which things are seen from
the men*s point of view* and women only enter as appendages.
As agreed at the oommittes aeetlng of the 23rd October* 1953*
a elf a re aptroaoh has been adopted throughout.
30UHCBS / . . . . . . .
8 0 U H C S S O F H F @ 1 1 4 T I 0 I
1) Interview*
2) Activities
3) Books
• 4) Larger or waller quantitative teats*
Interviews
Suaber of persons Interviewed t 260 odd.
These persons were t African women - approx* 1J0
African men • 23
.uropeans - " 85
The tera "interview" ie too precise and ii'sited la mesn-
ing tc cover ths wide variety of human contacts sought and
attained. Hones, it is impoesibls to give an exact figure.
This applies particularly to ths Africana thus "interviewed",
and even sore to the women amongst the®, with whom a mors
continuous fora of personal relationship was sought.
In actual fact, the information obtained was of diffsrent
kinds and should bo classified as*
») Verbatim recording of conversations}
b) r'reciae "behaviourietic” observation of behaviour,reactions, interssts, manners and rasnnsrisme, tone
of voice, etc*}
c) Evaluation as tc spontaneity, scoretiveness,(sincerity, general educational level, force of personality, ambitions, motivations, etc.f
d) The collection of "opinions" and ths rating thereof?
o) The oolloction of "attitudes".
As already explained in ray freliainary aoport, it has
throughout been the aim to eetablioh personal, contact bated
on a coaraon humanity and a oomson wcataahood. The forms which
this contact took depended entirely on cay failure or success
in sstablishing this relationship. Ths interviews varisd
greatly In duration, intensity and yield of Information,
ranging fron anything between a quick half-hour'a ohat, to
intense contact and talk lasting a whole morning or afternoon
or day} from conventional "visitors-conversatlon" to pene
trating emotional exchange. Whilst African men were generally
only interviewed onoo, I have boon able to have 2 or 3 or even
4 interviews with African women (possibly with one-third) and
with some 1 have maintained contact all along*
Seedless /
* M « i l
Seedless to say, most of tha available time had to ba
spent in building: up suoh ccntaote and finding unobtrueive way*
of doing ao. To thia and, I had lunches and dinnera mid tea*
with the woman, 1 took them for drives, wad gave them "lifts".
I helped the* entertain their guests, Z showed them how to
make Hollands coffee, I eewed with th*m, and even one* painted
th* walls of a room with them. Xn all this the search was for
ways and means to replace the lack of "living with them", which
ia not posaible in the race relations situation, yet la India-
pensibl* for a profound understanding* the b*st substitutes
for this are, in my experience, gating togather and worklag
together* Through a common activity, on* forgets to watch
one's words and conversation flow* more freely. That ia th*
mason why driving together in a car has also been found an
*xc*ll*nt basis for talking*
Apart from suoh environmental factors, which one gradually
has to discover and learn how to crest*, th* very best baai*
for creating the right mood ie laughing together or orxiM
togethert both of which, the former fortunately far mor* oft*n
than the latter, hare been experienced. African women hav* a
keen s*ns* of humour and sn easy laugh* And there 1* nothing
like a good burst of laughter to make everybody feel at ease.
Discussions of rao* relations have not been found helpful.
They do not help to overoom* the subtle uneasiness of Sure p*an-
African relations created through the aooial colour bar*
laturally, suoh "colour bar" talks war* nsoesaary, and arose
involuntarily, aa they always do between blank and whit*. But
the, are obstaoles to the feeling of "togs theme oe" which was
tha main aim of this contact. % own experience ia possibly
not generally applicable, but it must be mentioned that, at
first, one ie inclined to make it quite clear that one is on
ths Afrioan side, and a "good" European, possibly ss a reaction
to one’s own feeling of guilts Later, one leame that thie
should be simply ths unstated presupposition of one’s contact,
and any overt or concealed etatemant to that effect is only
harmful since it draws into consciousness what should be for
gotten.
The main basis of inter-r&oial content is certainly that
both parties should succeed in forgetting that It jj. inter-
raoial* The women want to forget it# It i* one of th*
foremost psychological needst for one blessed moment to b*
able / • *.*
able -to forget that I an black.”. ^ '
It has throughout boon found mora fruitful to lot the
personality first work in on one, during an inaugural and
non-committal chat* In whioh one has to do most of the talking.
One must first ssnss the woman's own private strains and
atreesee, her own personal emphasis* bias and interests. It
is essential to observe her reactions in general and to the
visitor in particular* to sias up whioh problems and topics
can bo discussed with any hope of affording significant
informationi because the questions on whioh her opinion is
sought must havs a personal meaning to her* that is* thsy
oust fall within her field of experience. But* her sxpressed
opinions are usually ths least important thing about her*
beoauss it ia the things whioh shs takes for grantsd, whioh
she dose not say* precisely because they are ao ouch hors
and ths neoeeeary presupposition of anything she says* which
reveal her and which reveal her society.
For this reaaon* the uaolioited statement* ths
involuntary oxlsmation* a sudden association of idsaa* or a
jump in the logical order of an argument* or a shrug of the
shoulders* are more important than the explioit verbal statement
(which does not later facilitate the convincing presentation of
one’a Impressions})
At first* some books on the technique of interviewing
were perused, sinoe the investigator was new to the job. Sot
much was applicable* since all dealt with interviews between
persons belonging to the name ethnic group. Tot one thing was
learned* namely* that an interview must be aa much for the benefit
of the interviewer as for that of the interviewee. This has been
attempted throughout* not just a queotion-and-answer conversation*
hut a real exchange of ideas. Hence* this report is full of such
sentenoss as < *1 have only had occasion to discuss this with
one or two or three persone". There is a grsat difference
in sincerity* in depth* in value* between anewere given to
questions just shot off one after the other* end answers to
questions which are allowed to ariee naturally in a
conversation. In ths latter case* a few more layers of
consolousnoes havs been peeled off* and a few more hastiout of
human / • • « . .
(l) It appears* as an overall impression* that this is one of ths main reasons for the fact that "women are not jet politically conscious"* which holds good even for very evolved women. M1 do not want to hear all those horrible things* it makes ms feel uncom- for table’", ie the typical woman's reaction. Shs wants to bs happy sad live a normal life. And as long as shs osn somehow achieve a little corner of her own in a dangerous and unhappy world* a heme, a good husband* and enough money to educate the children* she will, she must try to forget . . . iucfa people* who see to it that "life goes one", while others do the fighting, are very necessary.
£SfiSL_g£
human self defence have fallan, and thara la a chance that
one ia a little nearer to tha core. In trying to give and
net only take, to tell things and not only to ask things,
there way he a chance that one atarta tha women thinking about
thinga she has never expressed before. Preoieely thla la a
great need for African women, and It haa often been aqr pleasure
to see a personality blossom out in front of ate. To be
lletened to with full attention and rsspeet for her person
Is a great thing for an African wots an. The siapls outpouring
of her troubles, brine* not only relief, but aometiaee helps
her see a way out, or gat courage to undertake a02athing.
Thla in iteeIf waa valuable information, in the way thia report
haa been conceived* Sometimes, howsvsr, one starte a prooeea
of uncovering of experiences further back ia tine or deeper
down, when the expreseion of theee brings no relief* and with
whioh neither interviewer nor interviewee oan cope* One haa
asrsly increased unbalance and anxieties* The only way out of
such aituationa due to Inexperience, waa found to be the
African way 1 "to throw a party", to go out quickly and buy
lota of cakes, and becoma gay and convivial.
In mg preliminary report I mentioned the difference
between msn and woawm as interviewees, In so far aa men have
a greater capacity for generalieation end are sore articulate
than women* Without denying the truth of thie, subsequent
experience haa ehown that it ia preeieely thie whioh aakee nan
leas important aa inforoanta.
Thia appllee also, but ot a far greater degree, to the
highly educated informant* euch aa the unlvereity graduate, the
3*A* Aa eoon aa they become "educated", end apoolally "higher
educated", their living contact with their own culture patterns
is broken, to b o s s extent involuntarily and to sorae extent
intentionally* A screen of Suropean-taught and Suropean-iapoeed
thought cliches, end verbaliaatione of and about their own culture
has been super-imposed on thsir own Afrlesn aelf* And in talking
with a European or ana we ring his quaetions, it ia as if they are
reeding ths words and ideas written on thia ecroon* Moreover, they
are apt to mialead one as to the extent and nature of their oan
"fteetemleatlon" and that of the majority of their own people,
partly due to shame and partly due to reaentmsnt* This charac-
teriatio, however understandable and forgivable, detracts from
ths knowledge and information that la eought*
As sgainat men, women are extremely good eouroea of
Information /* * •« •
information and as against tha university graduate, the semi-
eduoated woman ie the beet source of all* Gradually, during
this enquiry, it has been the semi-educated woman who has been
relied on more and more as informant* From her as basis,
quantitatively and qualitatively, one can then "reconstruct”
the uneducated aa well as the highly educated*
Interpretation then becomes the great and over-riding
difficulty, and with a particular person this must proceed
by weighing the relative importance of the various basic
factors which influence her. In order to decrease as much
as possible the subjective element which enters through this,
certain precautionary measures were adopted.
firstly, verbatim recordings of all interviews were
typed out immediately after the interview, and ad hoc inter
pretations were kept separate from verbal statements. This
time-taking procedure has paid good dividends. Often a statement
which at the time seemed unintelligible or unimportant became, in
the light of subsequent information, understandable and significant.
Patterns emerged from previously disconnected facts. Sometimes
an early interpretation had to be altered at a later stags*
Secondly, it new becousas necessary to state clearly and
fully the fundamental factors concerning Afrioan people from
which the material for explanation and interpretation has
been drawn* so that given these aouroea of interpretation,
the reader can see the mechanism which has been operative*
Originally, the attempt was made to arrive at a quantitative
msasure for tha value of opinions, sinos naturally these vary
vidsly according to the speaker's gsnsral intslligsnos, experience,
sincerity, impartiality, specialisation on ths particular subjsct,
etc. This, however, was found impractioabls and the allotment
of "points" also finally a matter of pereonal judgment. But
naturally these factore have throughout determined the signi
ficance attached t© the opinions received. The opinions which
have received most attention have been those coming fron academi
cally trained persons in one or another of the relevant sciences
(anthropology, eociology and psychology), intelligent and
experienced missionaries, school principals, matrons of hospitals,
and other Europeans in daily contact with Africans* Opinions of
Africans have been, generally, taken into consideration only if
the subjects to whicu thsy referred were a matter of personal
experience and knowledge*
sitfa /,
With very few exceptions, whic j are usually explicitly
mentioned, no single opinion hae been considered. On any
subject whioh seemed interesting or important, multiple
opinions have been sought and generally obtained* But with
the tremendous number and variety of subjeots which seemed
relevant to the large field of enquiry, it has hardly ever
been possible to collect a representative quantity of opinions
on one and the same subject, though I was generally satisfied
as to their quality*
The opinions of the normal average type of African woman
interviewed had to be divided into two main typesi those
which were of value because the., were the opinion of an African
woman, whioh then came rather to be classified as "attitude"|
and those which could be deemed to have factual value, because
they might contain a statement about a true situation* To
arrive at facts concerning concrete situations is, of course,
a very real difficulty. Here is not meant the practical
impossibility of obtaining reliable figures or dates. Anyons
dealing with African women had, in my experience, better not
spend too much time on this point. And it is not of suoh
great importance after all* What is meant is the very real
difficulty of obtaining reliable descriptions of events, or
merely an exact answer to suoh a question as > "who were there?"
If a factual situation has to be investigated, then an
elaborate system of checking and cross-checking becomes
neoessary, and even then one is never quite sure whether one
has not get hold of the wrong end of the stick. For instance,
the facta may all have been thus, but even then, one may have
combined them differently*
Here the value of participation in activitiee becomes
manifest*
Maws interviewing was sometimes tried by or imposed upon
me* On the whole, however, its value ia limited, since all speakers
tend to agree with the first speaker. What was of real help,
however, was group discussion« and this was frequently sought
or contrived through the medium of tea parties and ths like*
Considering all this, it siust be obvious that questionnaires
could not be used* Firstly, the interviewees were too different,
it would have necessitated too many different questionnaires.
Generally, certain questions relevant to the particular
organisation or other aotlvities known beforehand were kept in
mind, but in most oases not even half of these could be dealt
with /,
L*&l M
with. Subeequent interviews; with tha same parson, or a
different person in tha same general context, could fill
gaps, and if not, gaps just had to stay gaps. Secondly,
the number of subjects which gradually came to ha aeen aa
relevant to the purpose of this investigation, was practically
unlimited, since they covered the whole field of human and
feminine endeavour. Further, seemingly irrelevant factors
often later threw unexpected sidelights on sn Important point,
or corroborated a suggestion.
At first the very real difficulty was to know what
aspeots of an African women'a organisation had to be known in
order to understand it fully .'1 '' But gradually I succeeded
in building up a general frame of reference with certain ealient
points so that one could get at the main features in a minimum
of questions. If this organisational frame of reference (only
valid for African women's organisations) were known, it would
raise a amiIs!
Here also* participation in activities was indispensable.
The use of a questionnaire (though an open-ended one) for
the investigation into ths naads of the nurses at Baragwanath
Hospital taught as how much easier it ia to work with a
questionnaire, and to concentrate on the more direct information
thus obtained. And, it must be said, I bitterly regretted the
much more diffioult task which I set myself, unsuspectingly, by
simply making up my mind that ths way I subsequently followed
was the more useful one. For the information whioh 1 regarded
as essential could not be obtained by means of a questionnaire.
The personal uncertainty which surrounds information obtained
and expressed without qusntitative confirmation is vexing indeed*.
The use of "informants" or "interpreters" has, on ths whole,
remained limited in the aenae sat forth in my interim report,
with the one additions that at a later stage some were used to
cheek up facts. But ths type of Information I wanted could
uaually not be obtained through intermediaries and Africans.
An example may explain what may seem strange.
At a / • • • » • •
(l) There ie a difference between the questions that have to be asksd about an organisation, of course, depending on whether the investigation is quantitative or qualitative, but aleo on whether the organisers ars African or European.
Collection Number: AD1715
SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF RACE RELATIONS (SAIRR), 1892-1974
PUBLISHER: Collection Funder:- Atlantic Philanthropies Foundation
Publisher:- Historical Papers Research Archive
Location:- Johannesburg
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