Browsing by Author "Kanyemba, Roselyn."

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Death and the sociocultural dimensions of forced relocations: experiences from the Tugwi-Mukosi displacement in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe.
(Routledge., 2021) Basure, Hardlife Stephen.; Nhodo, Lloyd.; Dube, Charles.; Kanyemba, Roselyn.
This article is an ethnographic inquiry into the cultural dimensions of forced relocations. It is based on the experiences of four resident anthropologists on the forced displacements at Tugwi-Mukosi in Masvingo province, Zimbabwe. Using the concept of death, we question the idea of belonging and what is regarded as an “honourable” way of exiting this world. These are interwoven in the cultural fabric of most Zimbabwean communities and any phenomenon that severs this tie to home is a cause of discomfort and pain amongst local people. Forced displacements have altered issues of honour associated with death rituals. We use death rituals as a window to understand the sociocultural effects of displacement. Novel ways of dealing with death are witnessed as people struggle with lack of a permanent “home.” The sacredness of cultural dimensions of death has been reconfigured in ways that have left the displaced struggling to find closure in dealing with the dead. Death rituals give us an opportunity to understand the multifaceted effects of displacement. Through death we experience the pain of displacement, understand the chords that bind the displaced communities together and witness the enduring social bonds that structure life beyond the disruptions of displacement.
Normalization of misogyny: sexist humour in a higher education context at Great Zimbabwe University.
(2018) Kanyemba, Roselyn.; Naidu, Uma Maheshvari.
This research focuses on sexist humour and its contribution to the creation of hostile campuses for women, affecting their equal access and enjoyment of higher education. This research addresses an element that has been neglected in the field of sexism and higher education as previous studies tended to focus on overt expressions of sexual harassment. The study investigated the nature and perceptions of students at Great Zimbabwe University with regard to sexist humour. The study grounds its analysis on a logical conceptual framework using structural violence theory, sexual objectification and social identity theories to discuss the perceptions, experiences, processes and outcomes of sexist humour in higher education settings. It also uses data collected from survey questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions and observations to bring out the voices and experiences of women with regard to sexist humour in higher education, an element which has been missing in literature. Sexual harassment is a growing epidemic in universities around the world and this has consequences especially for female students who are the targets. Latent linguistic factors such as sexually violent humour, rape jokes and sexist humour normalizes violence and rape in society. Ambiguous definitions of what constitutes violence as well as the burden of proof makes it difficult for students to decide whether they should report sexist humour or not. In addition, humour is not listed as violence in the available statutes which only cater for overt expressions of violence that are presented with glaring proof of assault. Victims are thus often silenced and dismissed as frivolous. The study established that sexist joking, which has been socialized in cultures for centuries, normalizes rape culture and hostile campuses and needs to be addressed with the same seriousness as other overt expressions of violence occurring on university campuses. The ambiguity in defining sexist humour as harassment means there is little communication and discourse on campus, thereby normalizing violence.