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Nuraan Davids

Description

Out of Place offers an in-depth exploration of Nuraan Davids' experience as a Muslim 'coloured' woman, traversing a post-apartheid space. It centres on and explores a number of themes, which include her challenges not only as a South African citizen, and within her faith community, but as an academic citizen at a historically white university. The book is her story, an autoethnography, her reparation.

By embarking on an auto-ethnography, she not only tries to change the way her story has been told by others, transforms her 'sense of what it means to live' (Bhabha, 1994). She is driven by a postcolonial appeal, which insists that if she seeks to imprint her own way of life into the discourses which pervade the world around her, then she can no longer allow herself to be spoken on behalf of or to be subjugated into the hegemonies of others.

The main argument of Out of Place is that Muslim, 'coloured' women are subjected to layers of scrutiny and prejudices, which have yet to be confronted. What we know about Muslim 'coloured' women has been shaped by preconceived notions of 'otherness', and attached to a meta-narrative of 'oppression and backwardness'. By centring and using her lived experiences, the author takes readers on a journey of what it is like to be seen in terms of race, gender and religion - not only within the public sphere of her professional identities, but within the private sphere of her faith community.

Chapter 1: And so, I choose to (re)write

Chapter 2: Autoethnography: A counter-narrative of experiences

Chapter 3: Race as disqualifying disfigurement

Chapter 4: Parents (not) for Change

Chapter 5: Lost in diversity

Chapter 6: (Dis)embodied intersectionality

Chapter 7: Patriarchy as religion

Chapter 8: Postscript: Through the doorway

Sujets

• Philosophers
• Cultural
• Lettres et linguistique
• Postcolonialism
• Philosophy
• History of South Africa (1994?present)
• Biography
• Autobiography

Informations

• Publié par: African Minds
• Date de parution: 17 juin 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781928502371
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

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Nuraan Davids OutofPlace AnAutoethnographyofPostcolonialCitizenship

Out o Place An Autoetnograpy o Postcoonîa Cîtîzensîp

Nuraan Davîds

AFRICAN MINDS

Pubîsed în 2022 by Arîcan Mînds 4 Ecceston Pace, Somerset West, 7130, Cape Town, Sout Arîca îno@arîcanmînds.org.za | www.arîcanmînds.org.za

2022 Arîcan Mînds

A contents o tîs document, uness specîied oterwîse, are îcensed under a Creatîve Commons Attrîbutîon 4.0 Internatîona Lîcense.

he vîews expressed în tîs pubîcatîon are tose o te autor. Wen quotîng rom any o te capters, readers are requested to acknowedge te autor.

ISBN (paper): 978-1-928502-36-4 eBook edîtîon: 978-1-928502-37-1 ePub edîtîon: 978-1-928502-38-8

Copîes o tîs book are avaîabe or ree downoad at: www.arîcanmînds.org.za

ORDERS: Arîcan Mînds Emaî: îno@arîcanmînds.org.za

To order prînted books rom outsîde Arîca, pease contact: Arîcan Books Coectîve PO Box 721, Oxord OX1 9EN, UK Emaî: orders@arîcanbookscoectîve.com

Contents

Foreword by Jonatan D Jansen v Acknowedgements îX FreQuenty used abbrevîatîons and acronyms X

Capter 1: And so, ï coose to rewrîte 1

Capter 2: Autoetnograpy: A counternarratîve o eXperîences 13

Capter 3: Race as dîsQuaîyîng dîsIgurement 31

Capter 4: Parents not or Cange 55

Capter 5: ost în dîversîty 77

Capter 6: Dîsembodîed întersectîonaîty 95

Capter 7: Patrîarcy as reîgîon 111

Capter 8: Postscrîpt: hroug te doorway 131

Reerences 135 ïndeX 149 About te autor 159

Foreword

hîs îs te most poweru academîc bîograpy you wî ever read on te poîtîcs o pace în Sout Arîca as reveaed troug te story o a uman îe. he book gîves away te pot în îts openîng sentence, at once eoQuent and devastatîng: ‘ong beore ï Irst reaîsed ît, ï ad earnt to take careu note o were ï was beore ï coud decîde ow to be.’ ït îs tîs partîcuar pîar o earnîng once artîcuated by JacQues Deorîs earnîng to know, earnîng to do, earnîng to îve togeter – wît oters tat te autor, Nuraan Davîds, teaces troug a grîppîng and dîsturbîng set o persona storîes. ï tere îs a researc Questîon tat guîdes te teîng, ît îs tîs: How do you earn to be as a ‘cooured’, îjabwearîng Musîm woman în a country tat îtse îs stî struggîng wît ow to be towards îts own cîtîzens, et aone tose rom oter Arîcan countrîes? îke a peope o conscîence, te very desîgnatîon ‘cooured’ îs used on an eXceptîona basîs, to make a poînt, or wat Mzansî does îs pace you însîde îdentîty boXes tat once trîed te aparteîd masters. hat îs te poînt: How to be în reatîon to tîs îngerîng paceoder tat contînues to carry so muc currency încudîng among tose appy to be reerred to as ‘mîXed race’ – dîstînct rom te presumaby pure races, te ‘Arîcan’ and ‘ïndîan’ and, te purest o tem a, te ‘wîtes’. Not a Musîm women wear te îjab, a bessîng to te devout,

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OUT OF P ACE

a marker tat sînges you out în a crowd or tîs îs not te pace, postaparteîd Sout Arîca wît îts gorîous constîtutîon, or ow to be a good Musîm. hat oundîng document was supposed to guarantee a pace în te sun or every cîtîzen regardess o coour or creed; a document cannot do tat, o course, îts aîncusîve anguage notwîtstandîng. ït îs as î beîng a woman în a country wît one o te îgest rates o vîoence towards women was not enoug. he words are even bandîed around în dîe voksmond îteray, în te everyday spoken anguage o ordînary peope as î îts traumatîc meanîng speaks or îtse: genderbased vîoence. Every newsreader and every pubîc oicîa repeat te term untî ît oses a meanîng even as te assaut on women’s bodîes contînues: GBV, îs te prînted abbrevîatîon. earnîng ow to be as a woman în educatîon and socîety îs a vîta tread tat runs troug te book, one tat îs knotted togeter wît tose oter întersectîona treads: ‘cooured’, îjabwearîng, Musîm woman. Unsurprîsîngy, te book opens wît te poîtîcs o dîspacement. Were not to be, în oter words. ïn Cape Town, te settîng or te book, tîs îs one o tose unspeakabe traumas – te mass dîspacement o ‘cooured’ peope rom teîr omes în order to make pace or ‘wîtes’. he autor earns Quîcky tat tîs îs not er pace even î generatîons o amîy members mîgt ave îved în te ouse and în te area. But tîs orced dîsodgîng rom your ome îs not ony about pysîca dîspacement. ït îs aso about te dîsconnectîon, nay dîsruptîon, o reatîonsîps tat were once acceptabe between ‘back’ and ‘wîte’ cîdren and teîr amîîes. ït îs în teîng te story o beîng outopace as ar as ome îs concerned tat te autor’s emotîona detacment rom pace îs most sarpy artîcuated. Uprooted rom your bîrtpace sounds and ees more accurate. You do not beong ere was te message ten, and now. One o ‘te Irsts’ to enter ‘wîte’ scoos în te eary years o desegregatîon, as a student teacer and ten ater as a QuaîIed

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 FOREWOR D

educator, te autor waks rîgt înto ît a over agaîn. Se woud eXperîence sometîng tat scoars are ony startîng to tak about amost tree decades sînce te end o ega aparteîd: racîa resentment agaînst tese eary înteropers în îywîte scoos as earners, ten teacers and more recenty, prîncîpas. he autor stands out as a îjabwearîng Musîm woman o coour and earns very Quîcky tat or a tose reasons se îs once more out o pace. Curîousy, te earners accept er; te teacers and er senîors strugge wît ow to be wît er, and wît te new country. For monts, te od and te new Sout Arîcan Lags Ly aongsîde eac oter în te scoo were se teaces. By te tîme te autor eaves scoo teacîng or unîversîty, one woud eXpect a more toerant envîronment were academîc cîtîzens are usuay admîred or standîng out and, as îger educatîon mytoogy as ît, paîd to tînk or temseves. Not so, or în tîs conservatîve, Arîkaans, patrîarca unîversîty wît îts roots în Dutc Cavînîsm, you are out pace ong beore you set oot on campus. But te ard înes o înstîtutîona eXcusîon ave ong sotened, î not dîsappeared and so te autor îs abe to rîse to proessorîa status wîtîn er unîversîty and even become a ead o department în educatîon poîcy studîes. However, anoter pacebased strugge ten emerges wen se appîes or te deansîp and oses out to a ‘back’ Arîcan man. Se enjoys majorîty support o te acuty and te senate wose votes are dîscarded by te councî and te ‘back’ man appoînted. Gîven tat te Western Cape as a ong and tragîc îstory o eXcusîon o Arîcans wom, în te aparteîd îmagînary, beonged esewere în one o te ‘back’ omeands Bantustans, tîs îs ceary a wecome appoîntment. But te autor asks us to take a coser ook. Se too îs ‘back’, în te broader sense o te încusîve term ed by progressîves. Se îs a woman în an înstîtutîon tat as never ad a emae academîc eader at te top. Se îs a Musîm woman, a îjab wearîng one, în a pace tat started of 100 years ago wît a acuty o Crîstîan teoogy.

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OUT OF P ACE

Wat se ees îs yet anoter outopace eXperîence even î tîs tîme te appoîntment o a ‘back’ mae dean îs a good tîng or er unîversîty. ïn oter words, tîs îs one înstance upon many oters were te accumuated eXperîence o beîng outopace cuts deep. Ofcampus îs no dîferent. he autor earns Quîcky tat pace îs unstabe and treacerous at te same tîme. A securîty guard în a soppîng centre wît wom se îs on noddîng terms becomes te înstrument or corporate ïsamopobîa on te day ater 9/11. A Musîm woman’s bags must be searced presumaby or eXposîve devîces. he aîrport o course îs a amîîar pace or ïsamîc surveîance. he umîîatîon never stops, te sense o beîng outo pace contînues. A înstîtutîons are împîcated în ensurîng tat a ‘cooured’, îjab wearîng, Musîm woman îs kept în er pace. he ony tîng worse tan scoo or unîversîty îs a woman avîng a crîtîca voîce, raîsîng troubîng Questîons and pusîng back agaînst rîgîd tradîtîons wîtîn er own reîgîous communîty. Notîng urts more tan beîng seen and îndeed treated as outopace în your aît communîty. How does one earn to be în suc treacerous tîmes and în so many troubed paces? hîs îs wat te autor Nuraan Davîds teaces wîtout beîng dîdactîc, and sows wîtout beîng pedantîc. Pace as to be constanty negotîated and ougt or. ït as to be cooured în wît new meanîngs, even transormed. Pace îs înevîtaby poîtîca, open to some and cosedof to oters. ïn sarîng er paînu navîgatîons crossîng dîicut terraîn, te autor does sometîng reay momentous în tîs book: se teaces us ow to be în troubed spaces and, în te process, makes democratîc paces more open, more ospîtabe and more încusîve or generatîons to come. For tat reason aone, tîs book soud be reQuîred readîng.

Jonatan D Jansen Steenbosc Unîversîty February 2022

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Acknowledgements

Deep gratîtude îs due to te oowîng:

• Steenbosc Unîversîty or grantîng me a researc oppor tunîty wîc aowed me te tîme to ocus eXcusîvey on my wrîtîng. • My eowsîp at te Center or Advanced Study în te Beavîora Scîences CASBS at Stanord Unîversîty 2020– 2021. he prîvîege o tîs eXperîence provîded me wît te ead and eartspace to reLect not ony upon my work, but on wo ï am as an academîc. • ï am especîay grateu to Aîson Stanger wo ofered învauabe comments on înîtîa capter drats.  Aaîya, or te book cover îdea. • Jonatan Jansen, or gracîousy wrîtîng te oreword to tîs book. • My coeagues, or teîr encouragement and crîtîQue.

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