Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-46).

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-108).

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-79).

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 159-161).

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 81-83).

This study explores the links between masculinity and the spread of HIV/AIDS by examining adolescentsâ conceptions of manhood and the ways in which hegemonic masculinity manifests itself through peer pressure. The study employed qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Interviews were conducted with fifteen adolescent males between the ages of twelve to sixteen, who live in areas with high levels of HIV prevalence outside Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal. A team of facilitators, who conduct HIV/AIDS awareness and education workshops (...) with learners in the Durban and Pietermaritzburg region, were also interviewed. Efforts to understand the position and experiences of adolescent males aim to aid and inform HIV prevention programmes. It was found that the hegemonic masculinity within the respondentsâ conceptions of manhood is damaging in terms of HIV/AIDS. Notions of masculinity that call for men to be strong, respected, in control, able to provide and able to attract multiple sexual partners justify and reproduce menâs dominance over women. Such notions are detrimental to gender equity and similarly to HIV/AIDS prevention efforts. The respondents reported experiencing peer pressure to engage in sex from a young age and with multiple partners. Combined with negative attitudes towards condoms, such behaviour patterns are dangerous in terms of the spread of HIV. Similar findings reported by other studies are discussed. The study illustrates how boys are often influenced to measure their self-worth according to how successfully they can embody hegemonic notions of masculinity. It is argued that the dominance of gender within boysâ identities can have negative repercussions for the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa. Despite peer pressure and prevailing notions of masculinity, many of the respondents chose not to conform to the expected forms of hegemonic behaviour by abstaining from sexual engagement. Such choices are greatly beneficial in terms of curbing HIV spread. The study also examines the enabling and constraining factors that affect the emergence of such alternatives to hegemonic masculinity. (shrink)

In addition to empirical adequacy and compatibility with other current theories, scientific theories are commonly judged on three criteria â simplicity, elegance, and fertility. Fertility has received comparatively little attention in the philosophical literature. A definition of a certain sort of fertility, called P-fertility, proposed by Ernan McMullin, is that it consists in the capacity of a theory to be successfully modified over time to explain new experimental data or theoretical insights. McMullin made the major claim that he has a (...) novel and perhaps the sole argument for Scientific Realism. His argument involves two strands (i) theories must be considered diachronically and it is an historical fact that long standing successful scientific theories are P-fertile, and (ii) the correct explanation of this fact is that these theories reflect the realities of a mind-independent world. A rebuttal of McMullinâs position given in the literature is considered and rejected. His argument therefore requires further consideration. The plausible first strand of McMullinâs argument is accepted for the purposes of discussion, and thus the observation requires explanation, either along McMullinâs own lines or otherwise. The concept of diachronicity and the implications of accepting a diachronic view of scientific theories are considered. The identity of theory across time can be understood both from a Realist and an Anti-realist perspective via the concept of significant claims in the successive versions of the long standing successful theories. This defuses a possible objection to McMullinâs argument, namely that by assuming diachronicity he begs the question against the Anti-realist. Explanations of the conjunction of success and P-fertility are examined from the perspective of Scientific Realism and the major current Anti-realist stances â Entity Realism, Structural Realism, Instrumentalism, and Internal Realism. 3 To justify the second strand of McMullinâs argument, a notion of the approximate truth or of the verisimilitude of theories is required. Inter alia it is argued that a distinction must be made between the approximate truth of a scientific theory and that of a simple assertion or a simple narrative. The concepts of the approximate truth of scientific theories and their verisimilitude are explored and some serious difficulties are identified. First, it is difficult to accommodate differences in respect as well as in degree in delineating the nature of an approximately true theory. Second, it is difficult to give a satisfactory account of the metric used to assess the verisimilitude of theories. It is argued that in any case no version of these concepts can adequately support the second strand of McMullinâs thesis. This is because, at best, approximate truth and verisimilitude can only support a pragmatic claim â the improved empirical adequacy of successive versions of the long standing theory. In contrast, McMullinâs thesis requires that successor versions generally are better theories. Third, there is an intractable theory dependent weighting problem posed by the open ended nature of scientific theories in contrast with the closed narratives describing idealized models. The role of the approximate truth of scientific theories is explored, within the frameworks of Realism and Anti-realism, with regard to the possible responses to the existence of two highly successful, well corroborated, but incompatible theories â general relativity and quantum mechanics. It is suggested that Scientific Realism itself, not only McMullinâs argument for Scientific Realism, requires the notion of approximate truth or verisimilitude of theories. Putnamâs Internal Realism is considered, and, if as I suggest, no adequate account of the concepts of the approximate truth or verisimilitude of scientific theories can be given, Internal Realism (which need not draw on these concepts because of its denial that there is a unique correct description of the world) is more plausible than the full blooded Scientific Realism advocated by McMullin, despite granting the claim of the historical observation of the conjunction between long standing successful theories and their P-fertility. (shrink)

Can the Corporate Social Investment initiatives of small businesses contribute to development? Corporate Social Investment (CSI) and its counterpart Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are the terms used for the external and internal initiatives undertaken by companies to contribute to the upliftment of their stakeholders and communities. This research paper attempts to establish whether the CSI initiatives of small, local (Cape Town) companies have the potential to contribute to this upliftment or development. The literature review conducted on the relevant topic discovered (...) three major arguments surrounding this debate. Firstly there are those authors that believe that CSI / CSR cannot contribute to development; secondly those authors that believe that CSI / CSR can contribute to development; and finally those authors that believe that more research on this topic is required before any such statements can be made. The outcome of the literature will reveal some issues surrounding this argument. They are: motivations, compatibility, implementation, business advantage, business and NGOs and community focus and research and sustainability. Following the establishment of the technical issues the paper will then propose that Amartya Senâs Development as Freedom theory be used to further investigate the development potential of CSI initiatives. Along with the technical suggestions, Senâs five 2 freedoms will be used to analyse whether any potential development successes can be observed from seven case studies. The freedoms are: political freedoms, economic facilities, social opportunities, transparency guarantees and protective security. Each of these can contribute to development. The case studies are CSI initiatives selected from local small businesses and the required information was extracted by means of an openended qualitative questionnaire. These case studies will be analysed against the freedoms and the discoveries from the literature review. The conclusions drawn show that some potential does exist for CSI initiatives. It also shows that Senâs Development as Freedom can be effectively applied to small scale projects at the micro level. (shrink)

The concept of ârestorative justiceâ has in recent years been widely invoked in the transitional justice literature. The term is however often used loosely, inconsistently and in apparently different senses. This minor dissertation addresses this dilemma by bringing together three influential bodies of work on restorative justice and exploring what each body of work means by the term ârestorative justiceâ. The three bodies of work are that of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, criminal justice theorists and accounts of African Traditional Justice Mechanisms. (...) With a clearer picture of what these respective sources mean when referring to restorative justice, the discussion then turns to the potential relevance and significance of these conceptions of restorative justice for transitional justice. The three bodies of work on restorative justice, while distinct in their own right, are brought into conversation through applying a uniform methodology. This methodology draws on John Rawlsâ distinction between concept and conception. Given that restorative justice is not concerned with the rules of ordinary language usage a conceptual analysis is not possible. What is possible is to follow a route of enquiry that explores the different conceptions of restorative justice reflected in each body of work. These conceptions are discussed against the backdrop of a transitional justice framework. This minor dissertation does not make any claims regarding the concept of restorative justice. Rather what are delivered are some findings about the conceptions of restorative justice that feature within the three bodies of work under discussion. The conceptions of 3 restorative justice differ in certain respects but also overlap in others. The crucial point of overlap concerns a sociological or relational approach to crime and wrongdoing which requires that all parties to a conflict are involved in its resolution. Herein lies the chief contribution of restorative justice to transitional justice, namely that restorative justice embodies what Jon Elster deems to be the task of transitional justice â that a society judge itself. (shrink)

This essay argues against contemporary theorists who claim that the concept of Absurdity that flourished in Western Europe in the 1940s is now of purely historical interest. It is argued instead that while it is important to locate the concept of Absurdity in an appropriate historical context, people living in the early twenty-first century are, in fact, living within an historical period that makes the experience, and thus the concept, of Absurdity relevant again. While Absurdity in the 1940s involved a (...) loss of certainty due to the role the Second World War played in undermining secular and religious beliefs, Absurdity in the twenty-first century involves a loss of certainty due to intense exposure to alternative points of view. This loss of certainty means that when oneâs typical point of view is brought into relief by an atypical perspective, one struggles to reaffirm oneâs typical perspective. This robust clash of perspectives strikes at the heart of the way in which we understand the world and ourselves, forming part of the experience that has come to be known as Absurdity. If the analysis of Absurdity that is offered in this essay is correct, then Absurdity is best understood as a personal epistemological condition, rather than a universal metaphysical condition that affects all people simply in virtue of their being human. (shrink)

In this mini-dissertation I investigate ways in which the accountability of child soldiers, themselves the victims of internal wars, has been addressed for atrocities they committed or in which they have been complicit. In the context of transitional justice this raises opposite and even contradictory concerns: as victims of human rights violations child soldiers require protection, but as perpetrators of human rights violations the same child soldiers need to be held accountable for their actions. More specifically I look at the (...) application of transitional justice mechanisms to this dilemma of child soldier accountability in Sierra Leone and Uganda. In Sierra Leone between 5,000 and 10,000 children were recruited for use in combat by both state and rebel forces.1 In Uganda an estimated 25,000 children were forcibly abducted by the Lordâs Resistance Army alone.2 As punitive judicial processes of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) were put in place to try individuals with âthe greatest responsibility for serious violationsâ or those deemed guilty of âthe most serious crimes,â the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission (SLTRC) and traditional justice mechanisms in Uganda were elected to address the plight of child soldiers in light of their status as both victims and perpetrators. My primary research question therefore is, how and to what extent was child soldier accountability, along with recognition of the need of child soldiers to be protected as victims of human rights violations, addressed in the transitional justice applications of the SLTRC in Sierra Leone and traditional justice in Uganda? Recognizing the possibility that the needs of child soldiers for protections might preclude effectively holding them accountable for their actions my secondary research question is, how could a coherent and effective approach in principle be devised to address both of these concerns? In setting up my investigation I provide a rigorous overview of the development of the emerging international consensus against child soldiering that has come to conceive child soldiers primarily as victims. I note the achievements that have been made in regards to provisions for the protection of child soldiers but also the important issues these have raised with regard to holding them accountable. The implications of the requirement for the voluntary participation of child soldiers in truth-seeking and reconciliation mechanisms is discussed. My investigation into the application of transitional justice mechanisms for child soldiers thus takes the form of country case studies of both Sierra Leone and Uganda. As a literature-based endeavor, my project consists of primary and secondary accounts relevant to the pursuit of accountability for child soldiers through transitional justice mechanisms. I conclude that in effect accountability for child soldiers was not pursued in these cases, at least not in any systematic way. Given the voluntary nature of the respective applications of transitional justice in Sierra Leone and Uganda it proved not possible to ensure that children responsible for, or complicit in, serious human rights abuse would participate in these processes, much less assume responsibility for the crimes they committed. Furthermore I conclude that the new voluntary standard precludes holding child soldiers accountable and therefore actually serves to foster and sustain the prevailing culture of impunity in their regard. (shrink)

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-97).