Developing self-expression and community among south African women with persona doll making.

摘要

Township-dwelling Black South African women must cope with an array of traumatizing stressors that stunt individual voice and diminish the creation of supportive female communities. At issue was the capacity of women under these conditions to thrive as individuals and contributing members of society, thus the rationale for this project study. The conceptual framework was Mezirow's transformative learning theory coupled with arts-based learning theory. The research question sought to explore how creation of self- made persona dolls encouraged creative self-expression and development of a supportive communal environment when utilized by Khayelitsha women. A case study design was used to gather information about doll stories, the doll making process, and feedback from participants about the process. Data collection involved written responses, observation of creative processes, structured face-to-face interviews, and semistructured group discussion. Content analysis included open coding, with narrative analysis employed to examine the original stories and extrapolate embedded meaning, revealing 2 major themes. The 1st major theme, disempowerment, had 2 subthemes: deprivation and dependence; and loss, isolation, and absence of ubuntu (southern African value of humanity). The 2nd major theme, empowerment, had 3 subthemes: self-sufficiency, ubuntu, and self-expression and voice. The results suggested that participants who made persona dolls and developed stories in a group workshop setting had increased capacity for self-expression and sense of communal support. Findings can contribute toward social change by encouraging township organizations to train employees in the fundamentals of utilizing persona dolls with their female stakeholders.