The ethics of human The ethics of human development as development as

transformationtransformationIIDE conference: “Emerging perspectives on the

ethics of development and transformation”. Bloemfontein. 17 September 2008.

landmc@unisa.ac.za

Prof. Christina Landman

Ethical practices in deconstructing Ethical practices in deconstructing religious and cultural discoursesreligious and cultural discourses

Research – development - transformation

Development is Development is

1 Securing health systems2 Securing social systems3 Establishing recreation facilities4 Enhancing moral fabric5 Stimulating enterpreneurship6 Protecting the environmentTo add7 Shifting mind sets

David beforeDavid before

exhibition

Michelangelo’s David after two Michelangelo’s David after two years on exhibition in New York...years on exhibition in New York...

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City  were delighted to welcome Michelangelo's sculpture of David for a two year "all American" exhibition After a two year visit to the United States , Michelangelo's David is returning to Italy . .

 

His Proud Sponsors were:  

 

From: Olivier, DavidSent: 10 September 2008 11:24 AMTo: "heinb@agrinet.co.za".mime.Mime; E Nell; Annamarie; bfineberg@mweb.co.za; Buys, Bets; N J Coetzee; 'Danie.Veldsman@up.ac.za'; Diepraam, Friena (GPSAC); Dolamo, Ramathate; Ebeling, Rainer; Elbie, Maria Van den Berg; Nell, Elsabe; Fouche, Nonnie; Badenhorst, François; Groenewald, Marcelle; Gundani, Paul; internet:wolfaardtja@telkomsa.net; Wood, Hannelie; Vorster, Johannes; Kritzinger, Johannes; Landman, Christina; Louise@konkie.co.za; magda@wmsarchitects.co.za; Cloete, Michael; Millie Viljoen; Muir, Nan; olivierjj@gmail.com; OlivierM@nbc.co.za; Patricia Smit; Botha, Pieter; Craffert, Pieter; I J J Spangenberg; stols, anita; Van Niekerk, Erasmus; van Winsen, Henrietta; Verbeek, Rudi; Boshoff, Willem; Willemse, MJSubject: FW: The return of DAVID ...

 

Ethical practices in shifting Ethical practices in shifting people’s minds...people’s minds...

A discourse is a grand narrative that is believed by a majority of a society and has consequences for the development of people whether it is “true” or not.

Religious discourse: God has made man to rule over woman

Cultural discourse: Aids is caused by having sex within 6 months after your parents died

Deconstructing discoursesDeconstructing discourses

Deconstruction meansShifting the discourse from harmful to

healthy (in the language of counselling)Shifting the discourse from trapping people

in underdevelopment to transforming them towards development

Discourses trapping human Discourses trapping human developmentdevelopment

The faces of the problem:

Three research populations:1 Patients at Kalafong (“township”)2 Farm labourers in Hoedspruit (“rural”)3 University students (“urbanised”)

Research populationsResearch populations

1 Patients at Kalafong Hospital

75% black (variety of cultures)74% women97% Christian – more than half belong to

born-again churches52% unemployed (others minimum inc)

““Township” problemsTownship” problems

Problems that keep patients from developing their potential

1 Losses2 Loneliness3 Lack of moneyDiscourses strengthening these problems:1 Power discourses 2 Body discourses3 Identity discourses4 Otherness discourses

Religio-cultural discourses Religio-cultural discourses identified by patients as harmfulidentified by patients as harmful

Illness/misfortune is caused by bewitchment

Illness is caused by GodIllness is caused by SatanAids is caused by a virusMedicine alone can make you healthyOnly prayer can make you healthy

Power discoursesPower discourses

The church says divorce is sinGod purifies me through punishmentDreams are divine visitations/warningsThe pastor said my child died because we do

not give enough money to the church.My pastor said my depression was a bad spirit.I am a man and God has made me so (to beat

my wife)My mother must listen to me. I am the man in

the house

More power discoursesMore power discourses

No marriage without lobolaBeing gay is sinfulThe belongings of a deceased man belong

to his family and not to his widowA woman who does not want sex, is a witchTradition forbids that a man cries for his

still-born babyThe sangoma has placed a spell on me to

make my husband think I am useless

Body discoursesBody discourses

More than half of the women who came for counselling were severely beaten by their partners

• I was not raised to say no• Adoption is a sin against the forefathers• Abortion is a sin (more than half of the

women reporting for abortion were 35+)• Masturbation is not for a real man (Don’t

you think I can get a partner?!)

Identity discoursesIdentity discourses

My church does not allow me to use medicine

My church only provides for families, and I am single.

My church says I am evil because I am gay.

My church says I must accept God has made me a woman/poor

Because I was raped, I am a bad woman

Gender identity, moral Gender identity, moral identityidentity

A good Christian woman does not work or speak to the neighbour

A good Christian man must have a house and be the breadwinner

My mother told me to pretend to be stupid in order to get a good husband

I must have a child before twenty: If I die without children, I shall not be buried

Otherness discoursesOtherness discourses

My church claims that it is HIV freeIf you wear traditional clothes, you will be

cured from AIDSI think my husband is HIV positive, but

God does not want me to deny himMy son was killed with a cork opener

because of the jealousy of the ancestorsThe pastor has prophesied that my child,

who committed suicide, is not in heaven

2 Farm labourers, Hoedspruit2 Farm labourers, Hoedspruit

180 interviews40% male, 60% femaleExtremely poor (R500 per month)First 40 interviewed belonged to 23

churches)20% illiterate, 40% can write their namesShangaan and Pedi (all migrants)

..

Blyde River, HoedspruitBlyde River, Hoedspruit

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..

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ConnieConnie

Abused womanDesperately poorMigrantNo transportNo access to state protectionRendered powerless by the gender

constructs of her faith/culture

JohnnieJohnnie

JohnnieJohnnie

PoorMigrantIlliterateHIV status unclearExposed to the cultural discourse that

Aids is caused by bewitchment and/or God’s punishment

Exposed to religious discourses that render him powerless/voiceless

How do the churches deal with How do the churches deal with beatings?beatings?

• All farm workers interviewed are in an intimate relationship except 5men/5women (widows, baruthi, one man who said he was a virgin).

• Shame to be without a relationship.• 100% of interviewees reacted against

masturbation – “Do you think I cannot find a partner?”

• Beatings:53 women reported physical abuse12 men confessed to beating their partners

BeatingsBeatings

Third of relationships are physically abusive (women beaten)

One man said: “I beat my girl friend. That is normal. She beats me back. That is normal.”

“He slaps me that I can wake up. He does not beat me till there is blood.”

“I beat her because she did not respect me. She confessed she made a mistake”.

Reactions to beatingsReactions to beatings

Only 2 of the women who were beated ran away from their partners:

“My boyfriend beats me. I have been with him for 19 years. I love him. He is married. I shall not leave him. It is not a sin to have a married boyfriend, because I am not married.”

Indigenous handling of beatingsIndigenous handling of beatings

IndunaFamilyNo police90% of women indicated that they go to

the church for healing, but not for intimate violence

Teachings on gender relationsTeachings on gender relations

“When there is conflict in your relationship, do not beat your wife. Teach her what the Bible says about an obedient wife”.

“Correct her according to the Bible”.“You may not divorce your husband even

when he beats you”. The government has given too many

rights to women

Conflicting discoursesConflicting discourses

A prevalence study indicated that 28,8% of the farm workers in the Hoedspruit area are HIV positive

Teachings on condoms etcTeachings on condoms etc

Baruthi teach that condoms are sin and against God’s will, while more than 80% of the farm workers indicate that they think condoms are good. (“The Lord will condomise you”)

Baruthi teach that circumcision is bad, while more than 70% of the farm workers indicate that they think it is good. (“Circumcision is bad. You suffer a lot, and you don’t even get a certificate for it”.)

Church and HIV/AidsChurch and HIV/Aids

The baruthi interviewed all indicated that they are able to heal HIV/Aids

85% of the interviewees indicated that they believe that the church can heal HIV/Aids

The baruthi felt that the government should compensate them for healing HIV/Aids

Further indigenous reactionsFurther indigenous reactions

Call in community to help solve problemCall indunaCall family(But don’t call police)Two of the younger women (teenagers, new

generation) said that if their partners would beat them, they would call the police

Do not go to baruthi for healing of intimate relationships

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33rdrd Research Population Research Population

Students held captive by unhealthy discourses keeping them from transformation:

1 Discourses on gender, race and sexual identities

2 Discourses on how to deal with their present suffering

3 They are part of a society “who is not free to be moral” in terms of the discourses of church and politics

MEET processMEET process

Ethical practices in deconstructing discourses:

Mapping the past: from problem-saturated to indigenous healing

Externalising the problemEmpowerment against the problem from

indigenous knowledgeThickening the alternative story

Ethics: The indigenous wayEthics: The indigenous way

Ethical transformation as the deconstruction of discourses towards indigenous insights and skills

The example of the man who was not allowed to mourn his still-born child...