Articulations of the media, migration and the urban in constructions of black African subjectivity in post-apartheid South Africa: a decolonial approach=Ukuvezwa kwezokuxhumana, ukufuduka kanye nobudolobha ekwakheni ubu-Afrikha obumnyama obuvumelana nesikhathi sangemumva kobandlululo eNingizimu Afrikha: Indlela ephikisana nobuqonela.

Abstract

This study enacts a decolonial Media and Cultural Studies. Rather than think in terms of what the media as technologies of culture ideally ought to do, the thesis focuses on what the media have historically done in South Africa. This epistemic delinking from a Media and Cultural studies that proceed from liberal pluralist normative assumptions locates representation at the centre of what the media have historically done in colonised and postcolonial parts of the world. The study embraces the constructivist approach to representation. Here representation is seen as emerging out of modernity and playing a constitutive role in contemporary postcolonial culture (Lloyd, 2019; Webb, 2009; Colebrook, 2000; Hall, 1997). Culture then occupies a similar space to the economy and material conditions in shaping historical events and social subjectivities (Hall, 1997). Media and Cultural Studies emerged in South Africa in the 1960s as a terrain for conversations and debates between British and Afrikaner viewpoints (Tomaselli, 2002; De Beer and Tomaselli, 2000). Historically, in both media practice and media studies, the black African subject has always been represented, that is spoken about and spoken for (Webb, 2009; Alcoff, 1991; Spivak, 1988). Decolonising Media and Cultural studies, then, partly means exploring this ‘visible’ black absence. In the postapartheid moment, western theory and methods have continued to be hegemonic. To explore this coloniality, this thesis puts representation at the centre of Media and Cultural Studies historically tracing the media’s articulations to its broader context that includes migration, the border and urbanity. The study theoretically stages a conversation between postcolonial studies, decolonial studies, black studies, Marxism, and other variants of critical theory. Located in the debates between Cultural Studies and critical political economy approaches to the study of culture, this research combines ethnography and textual analysis. Texts include 18 news stories taken from the Independent On line (IOL), News24 and the isiZulu Ilanga newspaper and in-depth interviews are analysed through discourse and ideology analysis. Eleven images, including 5 photojournalism and 6 photographs taken during the ethnographic field work, are analysed through semiotics analysis. The black African subject who emerges tethered to global colonial capital as a racialised colonial labourer, serf and slave still emerges in the contemporary articulations of the media, border and urban discourses as a precarious colonial labourer, illegalised, violent, dead, a non-being and an ethnicised national subject.Iqoqa

Iqoqa Lolu cwaningo luvumela ukungaqoneli kweziFundo zokuXhumana namaSiko. Kunokucabanga ngendlela yokuthi ezokuxhumana njengobuchwepheshe kwesiko kulindeleke ukuthi zenzeni, umqulu ugxile ekutheni ezokuxhumana sezenzeni ngokomlando eNingizimu Afrikha. Lokhu kungahlanganisa okuqinisekisiwe ezifundweni zokuXhumana namaSiko okuqhubeka kusuka ezihlawumbiselweni ezivamile zamaqembu kubeka ukuvezwa okumaphakathi kwezinto ezokuxhumana esezizenzile ngokomlando ezingxenyeni eziqonelwe nezingaqonelwe zomhlaba. Ucwaningo luhlanganisa indlela eyakhayo ekuvezweni lapho kubonakala kuvela njengesimanje futhi kudlala indima ebalulekile esikweni lesimanje lesikhathi esingemumva kokuqonela (Lloyd, 2019; Webb, 2009; Colebrook, 2000; Hall, 1997). Isiko bese lithatha indawo efanayo emnothweni kanye nasezimweni zokuphathekayo ukuveza izigameko zomlando kanye nokuvumelana nendlela yomphakathi (Hall, 1997). IziFundo zezokuXhumana namaSiko ziqhibuke eNingizimu Afrikha ngeminyaka ye-1960 njengesizinda sezingxoxo kanye nokuqophisana phakathi kwemibono yabokudabuka eBhrithani kanye namaBhunu (Tomaselli, 2002; De Beer and Tomaselli, 2000). Ngokomlando, kukho kokubili ukusebenza kwezokuxhumana nezifundo zokuxhumama, isihloko somuntu omnyama wase-Afrikha besilokhu sivela, okukhulunywa ngaso futhi okhulunyelwayo (Webb, 2009; Alcoff, 1991; Spivak, 1988). Ukuphikisana nokungaqoneli kwezifundo zokuXhumana namaSiko, bese, ngakwelinye icala kusho ukuphenya lokhu ‘kubonakala’ kokungaveli komuntu omnyama. Esikhathini esingemumva kobandlululo, injulalwazi yasentshonalanga kanye nezindlela kuqhubekile kwaba okwamukelekile. Ukuphenya lokhu kuphikisana nokuqonela, lo mqulu ubeka ukuvezwa maphakathi neziFundo zokuXhumana namaSiko ngokomlando kulandela ukuvezwa kwezokuxhumana esimweni sakho esisabalele esibala kuso ukufuduka, umngcele kanye nobudolobha. Ucwaningo ngokwenjulalwazi luveza ingxoxo phakathi kwezifundo zangesikhathi esingemumva kokuqonela, isifundo esiphikisana nokuqonela, isifundo sabantu abamnyama, i-Marxism, kanye nezinye izinhlobo nenjulalwazi ehlaziyayo. Okubonakala ekuqophisaneni okuphakathi kweziFundo samaSiko kanye nezindlela zomnotho ezipolitikayo ezihlaziyayo kuze kube esifundweni samasiko, lolu cwaningo luhlanganisa ucwaningo lapho umcwaningi eba ingxenye yababambiqhaza abacwaningwayo kanye nokuhlaziya kwemibhalo. Imibhalo ibala izindaba ezi-18 ezithathwe kwi-Independent On line (IOL), i-News24 kanye nephephandaba lesiZulu Ilanga futhi izingxoxo ezijulile zihlaziyiywe ngohlobo lokuhlaziya okucwaningwayo kanye nendlela yokucabanga. Imifanekiso eyishumi nambili, okubalwa kuyo ubuntathelizithombe ezi-5 kanye nezithombe ezi-6 ezithathwe ngesikhathi umcwaningi eba ingxenye nabahlanganyeli abacwaningwayo, kuhlaziyiwe ngohlaziyo lwemifanekiso. Isihloko somuntu omnyama wase-Afrikha oqhamukayo sixhumene nomnotho wokuqonela womhlaba wonke njengomsebenzi onokuqonela onobuhlanga, umsebenzi wezolimo osebenza njengesigqila kanye nobugqila kusavela ekuvezweni kwesimanje kwezokuxhumana, okuhlaziywayo komngcele kanye nobudolobha njengokungabophezeli emsebenzini onobuqonela, ukhuphikisana nomthetho, udlame, ukufa, ukungabi muntu kanye nomuntu owehlukaniswa ngobuhlanga.