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1

Narrating Emotions: Towards Deeper Understanding

100%

Coetzee J. K.

Qualitative Sociology Review

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2020

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tom 16

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nr 1

12-27

EN

Qualitative research aims at unwrapping the ordinary and the exceptional in order to bring us closer to a complete description and interpretation of life. People’s narratives are particularly effective in revealing deeper dimensions of experience and of meaning. Narratives always need to be read against the background of the empirical reality in which they are embedded. Most of the narratives referred to in this article are situated against the empirical reality of South Africa as a society in transition, still marred by inequality and inequity. One narrative, from a project conducted in the Czech Republic, shares some contextual characteristics with the South African examples-the Czech Republic is also a society in transition, previously employing institutional violence to suppress political dissent. An important aspect when dealing with intense political and social transformation is the presence of highly charged feelings and emotions. As part of the contextualization for this article I briefly argue that the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (1996-1998) in many ways did the groundwork for a new appreciation of the sharing of emotional accounts and revelations pertaining to atrocities, injustices, and suffering. This Commission’s work prepared the way for recognition of the potential of such sharing to create a better understanding of the experience of life in a deeply divided context. In the article, I argue for the establishment of a social encounter-a concept frequently used in the micro-sociological writings of Randall Collins-between researcher and research participant in an attempt to come to deeper levels of understanding. During episodes of emotional sharing of experiences and feelings a research participant often reveals deeper levels of social interaction-these revelations have the potential to open the way for a hermeneutical process towards understanding. Dramatic recall can lead to reconstructing a story that contains all the elements of what was originally heard, seen, and felt. The article uses five examples of narratives containing moments of high levels of emotion-each example opening the way for better understanding of the experiences of the research participants.

2

Deconstructing My Library, Unwrapping My Lifeworld

100%

Coetzee J. K.

Qualitative Sociology Review

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2018

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tom 14

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nr 4

16-30

EN

One of the most frequent ways of narrating everyday life in developed countries has been via the printed book. The invention of printing allowed for an ever-increasing mass production of documents of life that systematically established an era of communication and a political economy that had profound implications for the structure of living together. This article departs from the context of my own lifeworld: a lifeworld closely related to printed books. When attempting to explore and understand the overt and covert meanings embedded in the historical development of our social lives and the objects around us, we can turn for assistance to an analysis of the books on our shelves, books that have been constant companions for long periods of our lives. In this article, I propose that any valid interpretation, understanding, and depiction of social reality need to be, in essence, autobiographical. The autobiographical account I present includes how my personal life trajectory led me to the books that surround me. And how, in turn, these books become a reflection of myself and my roots.

3

Narratives and Everyday Life

63%

Coetzee J. K. , Rau A.

Qualitative Sociology Review

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2018

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tom 14

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nr 4

6-14

EN

-

4

The Creative Process. A Case for Meaning-Making

45%

Setai P. T. , Coetzee J. K. , Maeder C. , Wojciechowska M. , Ackermann L.

Qualitative Sociology Review

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2018

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tom 14

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nr 4

86-99

EN

Since the beginning of time art-making has been a tool to express, preserve, and challenge the extant knowledge in society. Artists do this by finding or creatively constructing new understandings in society. An artist is able to do this through the medium he/she uses to relay the message of the artwork. The medium that an artist uses to express his/her artistic concept has an impact on the character that the artwork will take. The medium of expression forms but one of the many considerations that go through an artist’s mind when creating art. In the process of art-making, an artist seeks to create new meanings or re-imagine old ones by organizing materials and concepts. In so doing, he/she discovers novel ways to get ideas across, and thereby creates new interpretations of social phenomena. In this article, attention is given to meaning-making as a conscious and iterative component of creating art. From a series of in-depth interviews, the authors analyze the inward processes that occur within six artists’ creative praxes and how these lead their construction of meaning. Attention is also paid to how the artists manipulate concepts and how they construct and deconstruct their understandings of these concepts in the course of their creative endeavors.

5

Experiencing Physical Disability: Young African Women in Lesotho

45%

Rafoneke S. , Coetzee J. K. , Bülow P. H. , Jaffray P. , Young-Hauser A.

Qualitative Sociology Review

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2018

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tom 14

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nr 4

154-167

EN

The article unwraps notions related to young African women’s lifeworld experiences of physical disability. The study is positioned in the broad context of the theoretical frameworks of phenomenology, existential sociology, the social construction of reality, feminist disability theory, and intersectionality. Focus is given to the way social systems of cultural oppression and discrimination impact women with physical impairments and manifest in how they perceive and make meaning of their everyday life experiences. Women with physical impairments often experience a double measure of oppression-being both female and disabled. When these women try to engage in a normal life and interact with others, they experience barriers imposed on them by their social reality-particularly in the form of cultural norms and patriarchal ideals. There are also instances where participants demonstrate resilience in the face of negative social stereotyping, instances that clearly show that they are not different, and do not perceive themselves as being different to able-bodied women. Drawing on semi-structured in-depth interviews with eight young Black women who are living with physical disabilities in Lesotho, the objective of this article is to examine their everyday life experiences within a predominantly able-bodied society.

6

Reflecting on Female Beauty: Cosmetic Surgery and (Dis)Empowerment

45%

Heggenstaller A. K. , Rau A. , Coetzee J. K. , Ryen A. , Smit R.

Qualitative Sociology Review

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2018

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tom 14

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nr 4

48-65

EN

This project aims to unwrap some of the complexities related to female beauty and the body. It reflects on the second wave radical feminist view that beautifying the female body serves to attract male approval via the male gaze, both of which are deeply entrenched in patriarchal power. This perspective positions cosmetic surgery as a disempowering act for women. In riposte, we turn to third wave liberal feminist ideas to engage with the narratives of ten participants who tell of their personal experiences of, and motivations for, undergoing a cosmetic intervention. We undertake an in-depth exploration of these lifeworld experiences and the interplay of subjectivity and intersubjectivity in the women’s encounters. Findings suggest that a cosmetic intervention is often obtained for the self as opposed to satisfying the “other.” Importantly, cosmetic interventions allow a process to occur in which an individual’s physical body becomes better aligned to her sense of self. From this liberal feminist perspective, cosmetic surgery is positioned as an empowering act.

7

Beauty and the Cosmetic Secret

45%

Heggenstaller A. K. , Rau A. , Coetzee J. K. , Smit R. , Ryen A.

Qualitative Sociology Review

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2018

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tom 14

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nr 4

66-84

EN

Cosmetic surgery is often linked to the perception that women who resort to cosmetic interventions to alter their physical appearance are vain, superficial, and narcissistic. Few investigations have acknowledged and explored the individual’s personal motivations and experiences of her action and choice with regards to aesthetic surgery. By focusing on subjective experience, alternative insights can be gained on the cosmetic procedure(s) and on how their reshaped body influences an individual’s lifeworld experience. The article explores the perceived benefits and consequences of reshaping, enhancing, and/or reducing a perceived flaw or shortcoming of the body. From this exploration the focus moves to the individual’s subjective and intersubjective perceptions: how she motivates and justifies her physical transformation whilst keeping private, and at times hiding, her surgical intervention. Drawing on narratives from several women, we attempt to understand how they experience cosmetic surgery in terms of their personal sense of self and their everyday social reality.

8

Online Gamers, Lived Experiences, and Sense of Belonging: Students at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein

45%

Pietersen A. J. , Coetzee J. K. , Byczkowska-Owczarek D. , Elliker F. , Ackermann L.

Qualitative Sociology Review

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2018

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tom 14

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nr 4

122-137

EN

Individuals who partake in video games are often regarded with prejudice. It is an activity that is perceived to be mainly related to senseless leisure and teenage entertainment. However, many diverse people make video games such an important part of their lives that they become passionately engaged in it. Video games and online video gaming offer the player immersive experiences unlike any other forms of media. A phenomenological and interpretive exploration is undertaken in order to gain a deeper understanding of the narratives of online gamers and their experiences of a sense of belonging to the associated online communities. Through the use of in-depth interviews, the article explores various aspects of the life stories of a group of eight South African university students. It attempts to show how online gaming has become a part of their lifeworlds. The aim of this article is to present the narratives of online gamers as rich and descriptive accounts that maintain the voices of the participants. Various aspects of the lifeworlds of online gamers are explored. Firstly, an exploration is undertaken to gain an understanding of what it means to be a gamer. It focuses on how a person can become involved with gaming and how it can evolve into something that a person is engaged with on a daily basis. Secondly, it explores how video games influence the perception of reality of gamers. Immersion in video games can transfer a player into an alternative reality and can take the focus away from the real world. This can lead to feelings of joy and excitement, but can also lead to escapism. Lastly, the article shifts attention towards how online video gamers experience online communities. Players can have positive experiences with random strangers online, but because of the anonymous nature of the online environment, it can also lead to negative and isolating experiences.

9

Online Social Networking, Interactions, and Relations: Students at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein

45%

Sele S. J. , Coetzee J. K. , Elliker F. , Groenewald C. , Matebesi S. Z.

Qualitative Sociology Review

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2018

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tom 14

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nr 4

100-120

EN

Online social networking (OSN) is an activity performed through social network sites (SNS) such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Instagram. OSN has become a dominant interaction mechanism within contemporary society. Online platforms are woven inextricably into the fabric of individuals’ everyday lives, especially those of young adults. We present a mixed-methods study-conducted at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein-that analyzes how students reflect on their everyday experiences of OSN. The key theoretical frameworks guiding this research are phenomenology, existentialism, and reflexive sociology. These theoretical lenses collectively assist in broadening our understanding of the students’ experiences that reveal the complexities associated with their interactions and social relations via SNS. From their narratives we learn how the students make sense of their engagements on SNS, how these engagements have an impact on their social interactions, and how OSN affects their self-presentation.

10

A Shock to the System: HIV among Older African Women in Zimbabwe

38%

Chikonzo N. , Rau A. , Coetzee J. K. , Ryen A. , Elliker F. , Young-Hauser A.

Qualitative Sociology Review

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2018

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tom 14

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nr 4

138-152

EN

HIV remains a threat to the ordinary everyday life of older woman in African society. In what can be called “a reality shock,” HIV challenges most of the ordinary everyday endeavors in conservative African societies as it imposes new Western prevention, treatment, and health-management methods over long-held African traditions. The reality of the “Western” HIV epidemic, and its impact on the “African” ordinary everyday life, demands that the infected undergo a paradigm shift in order for them to live harmoniously within their society. This calls for a re-examination of traditional values and a strong sense of responsibility, courage, and determination to remain relevant and not be considered odd in one’s community, especially as one grows old with the virus. The study, which focuses on the experiences of women from the Manicaland Province in Zimbabwe who are aging with HIV, observes that growing old with an HIV infection fosters forms of inner strength and wisdom that enable the infected to disregard some of the unquestioned traditions and employ effective ways of living well with the life-threatening condition.