Liberating possibilities of a new identity: A review of Christi van der Westhuizen's Sitting Pretty - White Afrikaans Women in Postapartheid South Africa

In this article, Christi van der Westhuizen's sociopolitical contribution in her publication, Sitting Pretty: White Afrikaans Women in Postapartheid South Africa, is reviewed. In light of the official end of apartheid in 1994, South Africans are attempting to define a new identity. Van der Westhuizen's publication focusses on how the identity of white Afrikaans women, as both the oppressor and the oppressed, influences and contributes to the endeavour of a search for new identity. In deconstructing and re-imagining new identity, Van der Westhuizen deconstructs the 'supporting scaffolding' of Afrikaner identity and examines the impact of white patriarchal hegemony that silences the voice of women, sexual minorities and black consciousness. The review concludes with the emphasis on the transformative role of shame, that is, the willingness to expose the false sense of goodness that we had of ourselves, as pointed out by Van der Westhuizen. In this regard, the recognition of the intersectionality of people's experiences becomes a key aspect of the endeavour of a search for new identity.

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Main Author: van Wyk,Tanya
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: University of Pretoria 2018
Online Access:http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0259-94222018000400045
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spelling oai:scielo:S0259-942220180004000452019-01-15Liberating possibilities of a new identity: A review of Christi van der Westhuizen's Sitting Pretty - White Afrikaans Women in Postapartheid South Africavan Wyk,TanyaIn this article, Christi van der Westhuizen's sociopolitical contribution in her publication, Sitting Pretty: White Afrikaans Women in Postapartheid South Africa, is reviewed. In light of the official end of apartheid in 1994, South Africans are attempting to define a new identity. Van der Westhuizen's publication focusses on how the identity of white Afrikaans women, as both the oppressor and the oppressed, influences and contributes to the endeavour of a search for new identity. In deconstructing and re-imagining new identity, Van der Westhuizen deconstructs the 'supporting scaffolding' of Afrikaner identity and examines the impact of white patriarchal hegemony that silences the voice of women, sexual minorities and black consciousness. The review concludes with the emphasis on the transformative role of shame, that is, the willingness to expose the false sense of goodness that we had of ourselves, as pointed out by Van der Westhuizen. In this regard, the recognition of the intersectionality of people's experiences becomes a key aspect of the endeavour of a search for new identity. University of Pretoria HTS Theological Studies v.74 n.4 20182018-01-01journal articletext/htmlhttp://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0259-94222018000400045en
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author van Wyk,Tanya
spellingShingle van Wyk,Tanya
Liberating possibilities of a new identity: A review of Christi van der Westhuizen's Sitting Pretty - White Afrikaans Women in Postapartheid South Africa
author_facet van Wyk,Tanya
author_sort van Wyk,Tanya
title Liberating possibilities of a new identity: A review of Christi van der Westhuizen's Sitting Pretty - White Afrikaans Women in Postapartheid South Africa
title_short Liberating possibilities of a new identity: A review of Christi van der Westhuizen's Sitting Pretty - White Afrikaans Women in Postapartheid South Africa
title_full Liberating possibilities of a new identity: A review of Christi van der Westhuizen's Sitting Pretty - White Afrikaans Women in Postapartheid South Africa
title_fullStr Liberating possibilities of a new identity: A review of Christi van der Westhuizen's Sitting Pretty - White Afrikaans Women in Postapartheid South Africa
title_full_unstemmed Liberating possibilities of a new identity: A review of Christi van der Westhuizen's Sitting Pretty - White Afrikaans Women in Postapartheid South Africa
title_sort liberating possibilities of a new identity: a review of christi van der westhuizen's sitting pretty - white afrikaans women in postapartheid south africa
description In this article, Christi van der Westhuizen's sociopolitical contribution in her publication, Sitting Pretty: White Afrikaans Women in Postapartheid South Africa, is reviewed. In light of the official end of apartheid in 1994, South Africans are attempting to define a new identity. Van der Westhuizen's publication focusses on how the identity of white Afrikaans women, as both the oppressor and the oppressed, influences and contributes to the endeavour of a search for new identity. In deconstructing and re-imagining new identity, Van der Westhuizen deconstructs the 'supporting scaffolding' of Afrikaner identity and examines the impact of white patriarchal hegemony that silences the voice of women, sexual minorities and black consciousness. The review concludes with the emphasis on the transformative role of shame, that is, the willingness to expose the false sense of goodness that we had of ourselves, as pointed out by Van der Westhuizen. In this regard, the recognition of the intersectionality of people's experiences becomes a key aspect of the endeavour of a search for new identity.
publisher University of Pretoria
publishDate 2018
url http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0259-94222018000400045
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