Women,Coping Strategies,and Social Change: Eastern Cape South Africa

Apartheid had a devastating impact on the entiresocial and political climate in South Africa.However, South African women were severely affectedby the extreme, harsh policies to such an extentthat in post-apartheid South Africa, many of theAfrican people who participated in this studyreflect, "nothing has changed." This monographprovides a concise exploration of the changingstructures in the social organization in EasternCape South Africa. Focusing on the targetpopulation, Xhosa women who live in ruralcommunities, Dr. Jones explores the cultural andpolitical historical landscape in post-apartheidsociety. Utilizing cross-disciplinary approaches,including standard anthropological research methods,such as ethnographic oral histories, surveys, andgender analysis, she conceptualizes the attributingsocio-political factors affecting the mental andphysical health conditions amongst the women andtheir families. Theoretical models, that is, Selyeanstress theory, dependency theories, and socialsupport/buffer theories are used to interpret thedata obtained during fieldwork.

Autorentext

Dr. Annie L. Hysmith-Jones is a Cultural Anthropologist holds a PhD (University of Oklahoma) other degrees-Counseling Psychology and Communication Science. Research conducted in Eastern Cape South Africa on rural women, stress and social change. Retired Iowa State University

Klappentext
Apartheid had a devastating impact on the entire social and political climate in South Africa. However, South African women were severely affected by the extreme, harsh policies to such an extent that in post-apartheid South Africa, many of the African people who participated in this study reflect, "nothing has changed." This monograph provides a concise exploration of the changing structures in the social organization in Eastern Cape South Africa. Focusing on the target population, Xhosa women who live in rural communities, Dr. Jones explores the cultural and political historical landscape in post-apartheid society. Utilizing cross-disciplinary approaches, including standard anthropological research methods, such as ethnographic oral histories, surveys, and gender analysis, she conceptualizes the attributing socio-political factors affecting the mental and physical health conditions amongst the women and their families. Theoretical models, that is, Selyean stress theory, dependency theories, and social support/buffer theories are used to interpret the data obtained during fieldwork.