Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

participation in practice: a case study of a collaborative project on sexual offences in South Africa

  • Article
  • Published:
Feminist Review

abstract

In this article we critically reflect on ‘feminist research methods’ and ‘methodology’, from the perspective of a feminist research unit at a South African university, that explicitly aims to improve gender-based violence service provision and policy through evidence-based advocacy. Despite working within a complex and inequitable developing country context, where our feminist praxis is frequently pitted against seemingly intractable structural realities, it is a praxis that remains grounded in documenting the stories of vulnerable individuals and within a broader political project of working towards improving the systems that these individuals must navigate under challenging social and structural conditions. We primarily do this by working with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) providing gender-based violence services in research conceptualisation, design and implementation. This raises unique and complex questions for feminist participatory research, which we illustrate through a case study of collaborative, participatory research with NGOs to improve health and criminal justice outcomes for survivors of sexual violence. Issues include the possibility of good intentions/good research designs failing; the suitability of participatory research in sensitive service provision contexts; the degree(s) of engagement between researchers, service providers (collaborators/participants) and research participants; as well as our ethical duties to do no harm and to promote positive, progressive change through personal narratives and other forms of evidence. Given the demands of our context and these core issues, we not only argue that there are no ‘feminist methods’, but also caution against the notion of a universal ‘feminist methodology’. Whilst we may all be in agreement about the centrality of gender to our research and analysis, the fundamental aims and assumptions of mainstream (Western) feminist approaches do not hold true in all contexts, nor are they without variance in mode, ideal degrees of participation and importance to social context.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Examples include the establishment of 1) the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission in terms of the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act 34 of 1995 (2005 [1995]); 2) the South African Human Rights and Gender Commissions in terms of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (1996); 3) the South African Constitutional Court; and 4) the Equality Courts in terms of the Promotion of Equality and the Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000 (2000), respectively.

  2. For example, the National Policy Guidelines for Victims of Sexual Offences, 1998 (Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, 1998) and the Policy Framework and Strategy for Shelters for Victims of Domestic Violence in South Africa of 2003 (Department of Social Development, 2003).

  3. ‘Township’ in the South African context refers to the underdeveloped urban living areas that, from the late-nineteenth century until the end of apartheid, were reserved for non-white residents. They were often delineated just outside the bounds of the white city centres so that the black residents could provide day labour to the centre and return to the townships daily.

  4. The information provided in this section is purposefully approximate and unreferenced so as not to divulge the locations, and hence the identities, of the partner organisations.

  5. Such criticisms are centred on the position that research questions determined by ‘need’ or out of an advocacy position are ‘subjective’ and not capable of producing ‘objective’ evidence. We contend that research rigour and ‘objectivity’ can be achieved, regardless of the origin of the research question, guided by research design and reflexivity.

references

  • Abrahams, N., 2002. Men’s Use of Violence Against Intimate Partners: A Study of Working Men in Cape Town. PhD. Cape Town: Department of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town.

  • Albertyn, C., 2011. Gendered transformation in South African jurisprudence: poor women and the constitutional court. Stellenbosch Law Review, 22(3), pp. 591–613.

    Google Scholar 

  • Albertyn, C., Goldblatt, B., Hassim, S., Mbatha, L. and Meintjes, S., 2000. South African Case Study: Engendering the Political Agenda: The Role of the State, Women’s Organisations and the International Community. Santo Domingo: INSTRAW.

    Google Scholar 

  • Artz, L., 2008. An Examination of the Attrition of Domestic Violence Cases in the Criminal Justice System of Post-Apartheid South Africa. PhD. Belfast: Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Queen’s University Belfast.

  • Artz, L., 2010. Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Amendment Act (32 of 2007): Reforms, Risks and Revelations. Cape Town: Open Society Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Balasco, L., 2013. The transitions of transitional justice: mapping the waves from promise to practice. Journal of Human Rights, 12(2), pp. 198–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997, 2004 [1997]. Pretoria: The South African Department of Labour. Available at: http://www.labour.gov.za/DOL/downloads/legislation/acts/basic-conditions-of-employment/Amended%20Act%20-%20Basic%20Conditions%20of%20Employment.pdf [last accessed 6 April 2017].

  • Benson, K. and Nagar, R., 2006. Collaboration as resistance? Reconsidering the processes, products, and possibilities of feminist oral history and ethnography. Gender, Place and Culture, 13(5), pp. 581–592.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bourke, L., Butcher, S., Chisonga, N., Clarke, J., Davies, F. and Thorn, J., 2009. Fieldwork stories: negotiating positionality, power and purpose. Feminist Africa, 13, pp. 95–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, R. and Wasco, S.M., 2000. Feminist approaches to social science: epistemological and methodological tenets. American Journal of Community Psychology, 28(6), pp. 773–791.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cancian, F.M., 1992. Feminist science: methodologies that challenge inequality. Gender & Society, 6(4), pp. 623–642.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1996, 1996. Cape Town: Government Gazette. Available at: http://www.gov.za/sites/www.gov.za/files/Act92of1996.pdf [last accessed 6 April 2017].

  • Civil Union Act 17 of 2006, 2006. Cape Town: Government Gazette. Available at: http://www.gov.za/sites/www.gov.za/files/a17-06_1.pdf [last accessed 6 April 2017].

  • Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, 1996. Available at: http://www.justice.gov.za/legislation/constitution/SAConstitution-web-eng.pdf [last accessed 26 April 2017].

  • Cook, J.A. and Fonow, M.M., 1986. Knowledge and women’s interests: issues of epistemology and methodology in feminist sociological research. Sociological Inquiry, 56(1), pp. 2–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007, 2015 [2007]. Cape Town: Government Gazette. Available at: http://www.gov.za/sites/www.gov.za/files/38977_7-7_Act5of2015CriminalLaw_a.pdf [last accessed 6 April 2017].

  • Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977, 2014 [1977]. Pretoria: Juta and Company (Pty) Ltd. Available at: http://www.justice.gov.za/legislation/acts/1977-051.pdf [last accessed 6 April 2017].

  • Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, 1998. National Policy Guidelines for Victims of Sexual Offences, 1998. Pretoria: Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.

  • Department of Social Development, 2003. Policy Framework and Strategy for Shelters for Victims of Domestic Violence in South Africa. Pretoria: Department of Social Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeVault, M.L., 1996. Talking back to sociology: distinctive contributions of feminist methodology. Annual Review of Sociology, 22, pp. 29–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998, 1999. Cape Town: Government Gazette. Available at: http://www.justice.gov.za/legislation/regulations/r2006/DOMESTIC%20VIOLENCE%20ACTfin.pdf [last accessed 6 April 2017].

  • Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, 1998. Cape Town: Government Gazette. Available at: http://www.labour.gov.za/DOL/downloads/legislation/acts/employment-equity/eegazette2015.pdf [last accessed 6 April 2017].

  • England, K.V.L., 1994. Getting personal: reflexivity, positionality, and feminist research. Professional Geographer, 46(1), pp. 80–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Enslin, E., 1994. Beyond writing: feminist practice and the limitations of ethnography. Cultural Anthropology, 9(4), pp. 537–568.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feminist Alternatives, 2011. My Dream is to be Bold: Our Work to End Patriarchy. Cape Town: Pambazuka Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fonow, M.M., and Cook, J.A., 2005. Feminist methodology: new applications in the academy and public policy. Signs, 30(4), pp. 2211–2236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galgut, H. and Artz, L., 2016. “If You Don’t Stand Up and Demand Then They Will Not Listen”: The Implementation of South African Sexual Offences Legislation and Community Justice. Cape Town: University of Cape Town.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gorelick, S., 1991. Contradictions of feminist methodology. Gender & Society, 5(4), pp. 459–477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gouws, A., 2005. (Un)Thinking Citizenship: Feminist Debates in Contemporary South Africa. Aldershot: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gouws, A., 2014. Recognition and redistribution: state of the women’s movement in South Africa 20 years after democratic transition. Agenda: Empowering Women for Gender Equity, 28(2), pp. 19–32.

  • Harding, S.G., 1987. Introduction: is there a feminist method? In S. Harding, ed. Feminism and Methodology. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, pp. 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill Collins, P., 1986. Learning from the outsider within: the sociological significance of black feminist thought. Social Problems, 33(6), pp. 514–530.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holland, S., Renold, E., Ross, N.J. and Hillman, A., 2010. Power, agency and participatory agendas: a critical exploration of young people’s engagement in participative qualitative research. Childhood, 17(3), pp. 360–375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jewkes, R. and Abrahams, N., 2002. The epidemiology of rape and sexual coercion in South Africa: an overview. Social Science and Medicine, 55(7), pp. 1231–1244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jewkes, R., Levin, J. and Penn-Kekana, L., 2001. Domestic Violence in South Africa. Pretoria: Women’s Health Research Unit, Medical Research Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kauffman, L.S., 1993. American Feminist Thought at Century’s End: A Reader. Cambridge: Blackwell Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keller, E.F., 1985. Reflections on Gender and Science. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, M., 1997. Poor women survey poor women: feminist perspectives in survey research. Feminist Economics, 3(2), pp. 99–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995, 1995. Pretoria: The South African Department of Labour. Available at: http://www.chr.up.ac.za/undp/domestic/docs/legislation_30.pdf [last accessed 6 April 2017].

  • Lewis, D., 2001. Introduction: African feminisms. Agenda, 50, pp. 4–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maintenance Act 99 of 1998, 1998. Cape Town: Government Gazette. Available at: https://www.westerncape.gov.za/text/2010/11/maintenance_act_no_99_1998.pdf [last accessed 6 April 2017].

  • Mies, M., 1983. Towards a methodology for feminist research. In G. Bowles and R. Duelli Klein, eds. Theories of Women Studies. London: Routledge.

  • Morrell, R., 1998. Of boys and men: masculinity and gender in Southern Africa. Journal of Southern African Studies, 24(4), pp. 605–629.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mosavel, M., Simon, C., Van Stade, D. and Buchbinder, M., 2005. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) in South Africa: engaging multiple constituents to shape the research question. Social Science and Medicine, 61(12), pp. 2577–2587.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murray, C. and O’Sullivan, M., eds., 2005. Advancing Women’s Rights. Pretoria: Juta and Company Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nagar, R. and Raju, S., 2003. Women, NGOs and the contradictions of empowerment and disempowerment: a conversation. Antipode, 35(1), pp. 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nama, N. and Swartz, L., 2002. Ethical and social dilemmas in community-based controlled trials in situations of poverty: a view from a South African project. Journal of Community and Applied Psychology, 12(4), pp. 286–297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nath, D. and Mthathi, S., 2011. “We’ll Show You You’re a Woman”: Violence and Discrimination Against Black Lesbians and Transgender Men in South Africa. New York: Human Rights Watch.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pain, R. and Francis, P., 2003. Reflections on participatory research. Area, 35(1), pp. 46–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000, 2000. Cape Town: Government Gazette. Available at: http://www.gov.za/sites/www.gov.za/files/a4-00_1.pdf [last accessed 6 April 2017].

  • Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act 34 of 1995, 2005 [1995]. Pretoria: Juta and Company, Ltd. Available at: http://www.justice.gov.za/legislation/acts/1995-034.pdf [last accessed 26 April 2017].

  • Recognition of Customary Marriages Act 120 of 1998, 2003 [1998]. Cape Town: Government Gazette. Available at: http://www.justice.gov.za/legislation/regulations/r2006/RECOGNITION%20OF%20CUSTOMARY%20MARRIAGES%20ACTfin.pdf [last accessed 6 April 2017].

  • Reinharz, S. and Davidman, L., 1992. Feminist Methods in Social Research. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc..

    Google Scholar 

  • Salo, E. and Mama, A., 2001. Talking about feminism in Africa. Agenda, 50, pp. 58–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shah, S.P., 2014. Street Corner Secrets: Sex, Work, and Migration in the City of Mumbai. Durham: Duke University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Sprague, J. and Zimmerman, M.K., 1989. Quality and quantity: reconstructing feminist methodology. The American Sociologist, 20(1), pp. 71–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Statistics South Africa, 2012. Poverty Profile of South Africa: Application of the Poverty Lines on the LCS 2008/2009. Pretoria: Statistics South Africa.

    Google Scholar 

  • Statistics South Africa, 2015. Mid-Year Population Estimates 2015. Pretoria: Statistics South Africa. Available at: http://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=5214 [last accessed 22 June 2016].

  • Wood, K. and Jewkes, R., 2006. Blood blockages and scolding nurses: barriers to adolescent contraceptive use in South Africa. Reproductive Health Matters, 14(27), pp. 109–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

acknowledgements

The case study project was funded by DG Murray Trust, Cape Town.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Health Sciences, Gender Health and Justice Research Unit, University of Cape Town, Falmouth Building, Entrance 1, Level 1, Anzio Road, Observatory, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa

    Lillian Artz, Talia Meer, Hayley Galgut & Alex Müller

Authors
  1. Lillian Artz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Talia Meer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hayley Galgut
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Alex Müller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alex Müller.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Artz, L., Meer, T., Galgut, H. et al. participation in practice: a case study of a collaborative project on sexual offences in South Africa. Fem Rev 115, 79–96 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41305-017-0040-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41305-017-0040-4

keywords

Search

Navigation