Browsing Research articles (Dept of Sociology) by Issue Date
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Fako, T. (Botswana Society, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40979677, NaN, 1983)[more][less]
Abstract: There has been sufficient concern in Botswana about the family that it has become a subject of several radio debates and panel discussions. Recently, a National Law Reform Committee was set up to look into, among other things, the existence of both customary and statutory laws relating to marriage. Whatever the success of the Law Reform Committee will prove to be in the future, for now, it does represent a significant formal recognition by government that there are serious problems in this area of concern. By reflecting on field experiences, teaching as well as public discussions of the subject, this paper calls attention to an area of social research which is contemporary and relevant, but which has not enjoyed systematic attention hitherto. The aim of this paper will be to illustrate how the modern Tswana family as it is found today throughout the country, to a lesser or greater extent, does not correspond with its modern ideal as well as its legal conception. This departure from the defining characteristics creates problems for family life and in the long run have retarding effects on community, and by extrapolation, National development potentials. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/1133 Files in this item: 1
Fako_BNR_1983.pdf (1.462Mb) -
Fako, T.T. (Taylor & Francis, www.taylorandfrancis.com, NaN, 1997)[more][less]
Abstract: The 1990s began with a commitment to children through the adoption, by the United Nations General Assembly, of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This Convention set the minimum standards of protection for children's survival, health and education; protection against exploitation at work; protection against the degradations of war; and protection against physical and sexual abuse. By 20th July, 1994, 163 countries had ratified the Convention and 11 other countries had signed but not yet ratified the convention (World Health Organization, 1994:1). URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/1119 Files in this item: 1
Fako_ST_1997.pdf (535.5Kb) -
Mogalakwe, M.; Mufune, P.; Molutsi, P. (Taylor and Francis (Routledge), www.taylorandfrancisgroup.com/, NaN, 1998)[more][less]
Abstract: Labour legislation is the unique device governments use to lay down standards and conventions in the workplace and to control industrial relations. Using focused interviews with unionists, government officials, employers and other relevant parties, this field study investigated the way in which labour legislation in Botswana affects the organisation of the country's federation of unions. The findings indicate that the BFTU's organisation is affected by the Trade Union and Employers Organisation Act.In particular, the restrictions in this Act separate policy and administration in the BFTU and this has had negative implications for the union's effectiveness. The fact that its policymaking body is part-time negatively affects coordination, communication and cooperation processes in the BFTU. According to the Act, public sector workers are not technically employees and therefore cannot belong to unions. This gives the impression that the state is not particularly convinced about the benefits of unionisation. This may create a difficult environment in which the BFTU and other unions must operate. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/886 Files in this item: 1
Mogalakwe_DSA_1998.pdf (1.165Mb) -
Fako, T.T.; Forcheh, N. (Taylor & Francis, www.taylorandfrancis.com, NaN, 2000)[more][less]
Abstract: In this paper the authors examines the extent of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction in a national sample of 325 nurses working in hospitals, clinics and health posts in Botswana. The analyses explored the effects of background variables, work context variables, resources variables, recognition and support variables, and union membership on job satisfaction. The findings show that nurses were generally not satisfied with their jobs. Twelve of the 31 variables examined were found to be associated with job satisfaction. Age, basic level of education, level of nursing training, level of income, extent of satisfaction with income, type of health facility, adequacy of telecommunication facilities and overall health since posting were found to have strong and positive associations with job satisfaction. Adequacy of equipment, recognition from supervisors, and overall health before posting had moderate and positive effects on job satisfaction. Satisfaction with current workstation had a positive but weak relationship with job satisfaction. No relationship was found between job satisfaction and other work environment variables such as adequacy of transport, opportunity for in-service training and relationships with peers. Similarly, workload was not found to be an important determinant of job satisfaction among nurses, nor were community involvement and membership of nursing organisations. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/1132 Files in this item: 1
Fako_ST_2000.pdf (1.521Mb) -
Fako, T.T.; Linn, J.G.; Brown, B.E. (Kluwer Academic Publishers, www.vlib.ustu.ru/storon/kluwer, NaN, 2000)[more][less]
Abstract: The transfer of new health technology to South Africa is occurring despite the fact that North American and European health care planners and entrepreneurs have a very limited understanding of traditional Black South African cultures which condition the health-related behaviors of the majority of the population. Consequently, relatively few people of African descent in this very diverse nation are, at least initially, benefiting from the new imported medical technology. This study gives an overview of traditional Black medicine in South Africa and, through the presentation of several case studies, discusses its implications for the societal adoption of new health technology received from the United States and other industrialized nations. The example of the successful application of cervical cancer exams in rural and urban clinics of the Eastern Cape is analyzed and institutional mechanisms that support successful transfer are identified. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/1129 Files in this item: 1
Fako_JTT_2000.pdf (791.1Kb) -
Mookodi, G.B. (Pula: Botswana Journal of African Studies, NaN, 2000)[more][less]
Abstract: The concept of female-headed household has emerged as an important analytical category in the examination of poverty in life chances both within the context of policy research and social science scholarship. This paper presents the complexities that arise in the use of the concept of female-headed household within the context of Botswana. The paper presents some of the criticisms that the concept of headship in itself presents a monolithic and often limited notion of social organisation that fails to take into account complex gendered social interactions that occur within and outside the confines of domestic units. The results of a study conducted in 1996 reveal the complex interplay of cultural-structure and individual agency that are obscured by discrete notions of 'headship'. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/905 Files in this item: 1
Mookodi_PBJAS_2000.pdf (1.239Mb) -
Ntsabane, T.; Ntau, C. (Pula: Botswana Journal of African Studies, NaN, 2000)[more][less]
Abstract: This article focuses on the changing trends and patterns in the youth's participation in the electoral process. It examines trends in electoral participation in general and that of the youth in particular and attempts an explanation. It draws on the results of accumulated surveys and opinion polls that have been conducted over the years by the Democracy Research Project(DRP) of the University of Botswana. The article argues that the reasons for the lower participation rates among the youth are to be found in traditional Tswana society's political culture that does not consider public affairs a domain for women and the youth. This culture is reproduced by the major agencies of socialisation such as the family, school system, political parties and the media. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/772 Files in this item: 1
Ntsabane_PBJAS_2000.pdf (661.9Kb) -
Mphinyane, S.T. (Pula: Botswana Journal of African Studies, NaN, 2002)[more][less]
Abstract: Thefocus of this paper is on the role of outsider activists who are supporting a group of Basarwa resisting relocation from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) in Botswana. The role of non Basarwa activists is problematized in order to unravel some of the complexities surrounding advocacy, especially its bearing on the relative power of the 'supported'. The paper argues that in the case of Basarwa who are currently being forcibly relocated by the Botswana Government out of the CKGR, oftentimes the voice of 'outsiders' who eloquently expose the human rights abuse of their subjects becomes more dominant than the local voices. This is especially so when the advocacy is done using Information and Communication Technologies (lCTs). URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/907 Files in this item: 1
Mphinyane_PBJAS_2002.pdf (682.4Kb) -
Fako, T.; Forcheh, N.; Balogi, K. (CODESRIA, http://www.codesria.org, NaN, 2002)[more][less]
Abstract: In spite of the rapid economic growth, which made Botswana the envy of sub-Saharan Africa during the 1980s and 1990s, total factor productivity either stagnated or declined over the same period (Botswana National Productivity Centre, 1997). The performance of the public service in the implementation of policies had become a matter of concern, and the reform of the public service and the transformation of its mind-set were major challenges to the nation. Productivity improvement was seen as an important strategy for improving the standard of living and achieving sustainable economic diversification and growth in the long term (Botswana Government, 1991, 1997). URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/711 Files in this item: 1
Fako_ASR_2002.pdf (211.0Kb) -
Ntsabane, T. (Pula: Botswana Journal of African Studies, NaN, 2003)[more][less]
Abstract: Southern Africa has through much of its 20th century history been characterised by a centre~periphery regional economic system. At the centre has been South Africa(minus its African reserves) and the rest of the region the periphery. Key has been the migrant labour system whereby the centre has been able to extract cheap labour from its periphery. The cheapness, however, is disputed by among others Burawoy (1976). The labour- supplying periphery was actually composed of two tiers. On the one hand were the African Reserves, comprising the Transkei, Ciskei, Bophuthatswana, etc., politically a part of South Africa. On the other hand were the independent states of Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/893 Files in this item: 1
Ntsabane_PBJAS_2003.pdf (764.7Kb) -
Mogalakwe, M. (Pula: Botswana Journal of African Studies, NaN, 2003)[more][less]
Abstract: About a decade ago, the left learning Review of African Political Economy (ROAPE) published an article by Hoogvelt et al 1992)entitled: ‘The World Bank and Africa: A Case of Mistaken Identity.’ The article criticized the World Bank’s simplistic tendency to lump together African countries as if Africa is one entity. In their critique of the World Bank’s simplistic methodology, the authors cite several statements from the bank’s reports that posit, inter alia, that Africa is facing deepening crisis because of weak economic growth, low levels of manufacturing, poor export performance, declining industrial output, climbing debt, falling per capita incomes, low levels of investments and savings, weak institutional capacity and deteriorating social indicators, all compounded by accelerating population growth. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/784 Files in this item: 1
Mogalakwe_PBJAS_2003.pdf (1.064Mb) -
Fako, T.T.; Linn, J.G. (Botswana Society, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40980365, NaN, 2004)[more][less]
Abstract: The nature of the work of a nurse incorporates several distinctive and stressful features which include dealing with crises, the continuous physical and emotional demands of patients, and daily confrontation with pain, suffering, and death (Douglas, Meleis, Eribes and Kim 1996; Hillhouse and Adler 1997; van Wijk 1997). As a result, nurses experience higher rates of stress- related disease, mortality, suicide, psychiatric admissions, and general physical illness than does the general population (Harris 1989. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/1121 Files in this item: 1
Fako_BNR_2004.pdf (3.042Mb) -
Mookodi, G. (Pula: Botswana Journal of African Studies, NaN, 2004)[more][less]
Abstract: Gender inequality is characterised by unequal power relations between women and men. One of the key manifestations of these unequal power relations is violence. Studies conducted in Botswana indicate that actual violence and threats of violence against women severely hamper the achievement of gender equality. This paper presents the results of national studies on the extent and nature of violence against women. The studies reveal that most cases of violence are domestic - committed by men against their wives or cohabiting parmers. The paper examines the dynamics of domestic violence. the factors that perpetuate it and the difficulties of stopping it. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/904 Files in this item: 1
Mookodi2_PBJAS_2004.pdf (644.1Kb) -
Mookodi, G.; Fuh, D. (Pula: Botswana Journal of African Studies, NaN, 2004)[more][less]
Abstract: Researchers and activists in Botswana have played an active role in the international campaign to alleviate women s subordinate position in economic development. Of late attention has shifted from 'women' to 'gender'. This shift has been premised on the need to provide a more holistic framework that focuses on relations between women and men, rather than on women exclusively. However, there are mounting concerns among academics and development practitioners that the gender debate has reached a stalemate in Botswana. The impasse is manifested in the perception that 'gender' and 'women' are used as synonyms in much gender discourse, research and activism. This paper argues that focusing on women and ostracising men makes the task of mainstreaming (or engendering) research and practice an unobtainable illusion. We propose new dimensions in gender discourses that will provide more balanced perspectives on both women and men. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/901 Files in this item: 1
Mookodi_PBJAS_2004.pdf (790.8Kb) -
Balogi, K.T.O. (Pula: Botswana Journal of African Studies, NaN, 2004)[more][less]
Abstract: Since the 1980s, some major villages in Botswana have experienced an increase in deviance and crime among youth. This deviance is often manifested in an escalation of criminal gangs that are mostly male in composition. The intense search for the causes of this problem by traditional and modern custodians of law often blame parents' inability to control and guide their children. This paper explores some of the difficulties of regarding the family as either the cause or the potential solution to the problem of youth deviance and crime. Blaming families fails to take into account the effects of societal changes that undermine the effectiveness of the family as an agent of social control. Drawing on existing literature, this paper concludes that it is no longer useful to assume the centrality of the family in combating youth crime. Poverty, unemployment, changes in marriage patterns and divorce must also be taken into account, as all of these have serious implications on the structure and agency of the family. This calls for a baseline study on the family to put the fundamental issues of its structure and agency into proper socio-economic and cultural perspective. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/895 Files in this item: 1
Balogi_PBJAS_2004.pdf (666.2Kb) -
Mookodi, G. (CODESRIA, http://www.codesria.org, NaN, 2004)[more][less]
Abstract: Male violence against women has become commonplace in contemporary Botswana. Analyses of gender-based violence in Botswana indicate that men are acting out their dominance through acts of violence. This dominance is created and reinforced by patriarchal beliefs and practics. The discussions are characterised by notions of female victimhood and universal male dominance. This paper contextualises male violence agaisnt women by examining the role played by economic and social change in the shaping of gender identities and relations. I show that while contemporary forms of male dominance have resulted from their privileged access over time to resources such as wages and property, men also face uncertainties of unemployment and reduced social status. I also show that rather than assuming the role of passive victims, women have developed, and continue to develop, contradictory survival strategies such as cohabitation and sexual relations that not only reinforce notions of male dominance but sometimes also challenge power relations and render some men victims. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/714 Files in this item: 1
Mookodi_ASR_2004.pdf (1.452Mb) -
Fako, T. (Taylor & Francis, NaN, 2006)[more][less]
Abstract: In spite of extensive campaigns to promote voluntary counselling and testing through the radio, television, newspapers and mass rallies, testing for HIV remains a challenge in Botswana. Using a representative sample of 1,294 students from secondary schools and tertiary institutions, the study investigates the effects of socio-demographic background variables, family coherence, interpersonal relations, sexual experience and knowledge about sexual health, on willingness to test for HIV infection. The results show that willingness to test for HIV infection was negatively associated with being sexually active and having a number of partners. Indicators of family, coherence, psychological bonding and personal adjustment such as common residence among parents, emotional support from the family attachment to parents, happiness with life in general and satisfaction with life as a student were associated with willingness to test. The importance of sexual activity, number of partners, happiness with life in general, level of attachment to father and physical fights with other children were identified as the social and psychological predictors of willingness to test for HIV using multiple logistic regression. The study highlights the importance of continued education about voluntary counselling and testing among sexually active young people, especially those from poorer backgrounds in rural areas. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/780 Files in this item: 1
Fako_AC_2006.pdf (600.1Kb) -
Selolwane, O. (African Sociological Review, NaN, 2006)[more][less]
Abstract: The main thesis of this paper is that Botswana's opposition parties are accountable for their failure to provide the voting public with a meaningful alternative to the ruling Botswana Democratic Party. While conceding the explanatory importance of other factors such as resource capacity, this paper departs from conventional wisdom by focusing on the strategic and ideological weaknesses of the opposition parties. it argues that the opposition parties made a number of strategic errors which rendered them electorally unattractive before they could establish their legitimacy as contenders for government power. To break the monopoly of power that the ruling party has so far enjoyed, Botswana's opposition must transform itself into a meaningful competitor and government-in-waiting. To do that they must (a)demonstrate that they have a viable, alternative economic management strategy to better satisfy the interests of a diverse voting public and (b)develop broad based political strategies targeting the diverse voting public to build voter confidence in the capability of the party as a possible government. The ruling party's track record of four decades of sustained economic growth leaves a formidable challenge to the opposition. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/761 Files in this item: 1
Selolwane_ASR_2002.pdf (1.586Mb) -
Mogalakwe, M. (Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, http://www.codesria.org/?lang=en, NaN, 2006)[more][less]
Abstract: Britain declared Bechuanaland a 'protectorate' in 1885 in a move largely driven by military strategic considerations rather than by the availability of economic resources. This can give the impression that in Botswana the process of economic underdevelopment, that is often associated with colonialism, never took place in this British 'protectorate'. This article reveals that even in the so-called 'protectorate', the British colonial state policies subverted indigenous economic interests and stifled opportunites for indigenous private capital accumulation, while actively promoting the economic interests of a small white settler capitalist class. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/652 Files in this item: 1
Mogalakwe_AD_2006.pdf (1.331Mb) -
Mulinge, M.M.; Munyae, M.M. (The Haworth Press, www.haworthpress.com/, NaN, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: Utilizing data collected from a randomly selected sample of 360 academic and managerial staff, regression analysis was performed to identify the determinants of acceptance of change among employees at the University of Botswana. The results showed moderate levels of employee acceptance of innovations and revealed that, of the four categories of substantive factors analyzed, managerial features were the most important determinants of acceptance of organizational change. It was concluded that management action is needed to boost the levels of acceptance of change and that a more participative approach to the management of the change process is necessary to guarantee the involvement of all stakeholders from the decision-making to the implementation and administration stages of the process. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/1120 Files in this item: 1
Mulinge_JAB_2008.pdf (1.912Mb)
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