Gender and Childhood Sexuality in Primary School

237 Pages·2016·1.984 MB·English

by  Deevia Bhana (auth.)

Perspectives on Children and Young People
Deevia Bhana
Gender and
Childhood
Sexuality in
Primary School
Perspectives on Children and Young People
Volume 3
Series editors
Johanna Wyn, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
Helen Cahill, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/13560
Deevia Bhana
Gender and Childhood
Sexuality in Primary School
123
Deevia Bhana
Schoolof Education
University of KwaZulu-Natal
Durban
SouthAfrica
ISSN 2365-2977 ISSN 2365-2985 (electronic)
Perspectives onChildren andYoungPeople
ISBN978-981-10-2238-8 ISBN978-981-10-2239-5 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-2239-5
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2016948269
©SpringerScience+BusinessMediaSingapore2016
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For Adiel and Nikhil
Acknowledgments
Thisbookwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithouttheparticipationofgirls,boysand
12teachersinfourprimaryschoolsinDurban.Theirparticipationinthisstudywas
enabledbythecollectivesupportofschoolprincipals,schoolgoverningbodiesand
parents. My greatest debt goes to the boys and girls whose voices (like those of
teachers)populatethisbook.IwouldliketothankRobMorrellforsupervisingthe
original thesis upon which this book is based and for your support over the years.
The ideas in this book have a long gestation period and I would like to thank
Rob Pattman for sharpening my thinking about gender and childhood sexuality.
To all my postgraduate students and colleagues, I am especially grateful for your
encouragement and support especially Bronwynne Anderson, Rishi Hansrajh, the
lateVuyoNkaniandShakilaSingh. ToMikeMaxwell,thankyouforyourcareful
editorial skills and for proofreading.
Versions of chapters from this book have been originally published elsewhere.
Theauthorandpublishers wishtothankthefollowingfor permission toreproduce
copyright material:
Taylor and Francis Group for material from Bhana, D. (2003). Children are
Children Gender Doesn’t matter, Agenda, 56: 37–45.
Taylor and Francis Group for material from Bhana, D. (2005). “What matters to
teachers,boysandgirlsinablackprimaryschoolinSouthAfrica,EarlyChildhood
Development and Care, 172(2): 99–112.
InternationalJournalofEquityandInnovationinEarlychildhoodformaterialfrom
Bhana,D.(2007).“EmmaandDavesittingonatree,KISSING”Boys,girlsand
the‘heterosexual matrix’ina South African primary school,InternationalJournal
ofEquityandInnovationinEarlyChildhoodSpecialIssue:QueeringChildhood,5
(2):83–96.Theoriginalarticleisavailableathttps://education.unimelb.edu.au/yrc/
publications/ijeiec.
Taylor and Francis Group for material from Bhana, D. (2008). ‘Girls hit!’
ConstructingandnegotiatingviolentAfricanfemininitiesinaworkingclassprimary
school,Discourse: Studies inthe Cultural Politics ofEducation, 29(3): 401–415.
vii
viii Acknowledgments
TaylorandFrancisGroupformaterialfromBhana,D.(2009).“Boyswillbeboys?”
what do early childhood teachers have to do with it? Educational Review, 61(3):
327–339.
Taylor and Francis Group for material from Bhana, D. (2010). “Here in the Rural
Areaswedon’tsaythatmenandwomenareequal!”Contestinggenderinequalities
in the early years, Agenda, 84: 9–18.
TaylorandFrancisGroupformaterialfromBhana,D.(2013).Kissandtell:Boys,
girls and sexualities in the early years, Agenda, 27(3): 57–66.
Palgrave Macmillan Group for material from Bhana, D. (2005). Violence and the
Gendered Negotiation of Masculinities Among young Black school Boys inSouth
Africa in, L. Ouzgane and R. Morrell (Eds.), African Masculinities (pp. 205–220).
New York: Palgrave.
Peter Lang Group for Bhana, D. (2005). “Show me the panties” Girls Play Games
in the School Ground in, C. Mitchell and J. Reid-Walsh (Eds.), Seven Going on
Seventeen: Tween Studies in the Culture of Girlhood (pp. 163–172). New York:
Peter Lang.
Contents
1 Making a Place for Gender and Sexuality in the Early
Years of Primary Schooling ... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 1
Theoretical Toolkit of Power: Feminist, Social/Structural Thinking ... 5
Rethinking Sex/Gender Models: Feminist Poststructuralism ..... .... 7
Researching Gender and Sexuality in the Four School
Multi-sited Ethnography .. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 15
Contextualising the Schools .. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 15
The Schools and Participants . .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 16
Study Details .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 16
Observing in Schools .. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 17
Interviews with Teachers .... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 18
Conversations with Children.. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 18
Structure of the Book .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 20
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 22
2 Children Are Children: Gender Doesn’t Matter?.. .... ..... .... 25
Fixing Boys and Girls as Opposites and Unequal: Categorical
Thinking as a Regime of Truth.. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 26
Children Are Children—Children Are Innocent ... .... ..... .... 26
Gender, Boys, Girls and Nature ... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 29
Sex-Role Socialisation . ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 31
Boys Will Be Boys.... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 33
Changing Gender: Race, Class and Culture. .... .... .... ..... .... 35
Westridge School ... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 35
Looking Indian, Seeing Muslim ... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 35
Umhlatuzana School. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 37
African Boys Don’t Perform.. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 37
KwaDabeka School.. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 38
Black Girls and Culture: We Must not Look into the Eyes
of a Male ... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 38
ix
x Contents
Umbumbulu School . .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 40
Conclusion .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 41
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 42
3 Teachers Are Mothers: Can Men Teach Young Children? ... .... 45
Men in the Early Years of South African Primary Schooling:
Why It Is Important?. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 47
Teachers Are Mothers.... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 50
Corporal Punishment and the Contradiction of Care.. .... ..... .... 53
Who Should Teach You? “… Which Ever One Isn’t the Strictest,
like a Girl” .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 56
Conclusion .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 60
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 61
4 “Boys Will Be Boys”: What Do Teachers Have
to Do with It? . .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 65
Understanding Masculinities.... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 67
“Boys Will Be Boys” Contextualising Masculinities
at Westridge School . .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 70
Boys Will Be Boys.. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 72
Rugger Buggers and Smoothies . .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 73
Shaping up Nicely: Boys and Mathematical Power... .... ..... .... 77
Conclusion .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 79
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 79
5 “Here in the Rural Areas They Don’t Say that Men
and Women Are Equal!” Culture, Materiality and Gender... .... 83
Gender and Rural Education.... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 84
Gender and Rurality in KwaZulu-Natal.... .... .... .... ..... .... 86
Notes from the Field. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 87
Father: The Speaker in the House.... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 90
Move Away, We Are Men Here. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 92
Beyond Culture: Contesting and Changing Gender Inequalities .. .... 93
Conclusion .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 95
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 97
6 “These Kids Live a Hard Life”: Inequalities, Violence
and Gender in Everyday Teaching . .... .... .... .... ..... .... 99
Gender, Violence and Schooling. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 100
Survival of the Fittest: Violence, Gender, Culture, Poverty
and the School . .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 103
Girls Cleaning Schools: Contesting Gender Inequalities ... ..... .... 105
Tsotsi Boys.... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 106
Conclusion .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 108
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 110