Jacques Rothmann | North West University Potchefstroom (original) (raw)

Papers by Jacques Rothmann

Gender questions, Mar 26, 2024

Transformation in higher education, Jan 29, 2018

1.For the purpose of this article, the abbreviation 'LGBTIQ+' is used as an inclusive concept ref... more 1.For the purpose of this article, the abbreviation 'LGBTIQ+' is used as an inclusive concept referring to those individuals who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and/or questioning as it relates to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Writing from a South African perspective, Msibi (2013) contends that regardless of the laudable transgressive properties of queer theory and the use of the concept 'queer', it is still informed by a Westernised history and understanding of sexual identity. As such, the acronym LGBTIQ+ is considered as more of an inclusive reference to those individuals who do not conform to heterosexual hegemony or heteronormative identity configurations which are informed by a cisgender model. Also, consider Fineman's (2014:307) argument in favour of augmenting the initial LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) acronym with new terms and categories in order to '…express diverse understandings of sexuality, gender, physical bodies, and evolving identities'.

Acta Academica, 2013

E llen DeGeneres paved the way for representation of sexual minorities on television, in general,... more E llen DeGeneres paved the way for representation of sexual minorities on television, in general, and in the US, in particular, when she became the first lesbian character on prime-time television to "come out" in the series Ellen (1994-1998) (Moore 2008: 19). Originally depicted as uninterested in dating of any kind, a producer of the show recommended that she should get a puppy, and as result the 'coming out' episode was titled 'The puppy episode' (Meem et al. 2010: 353). Media frenzies erupted months prior to the episode's airing. She appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show; consented to an interview with news anchor Diane Sawyer, and even appeared on the cover of Time magazine with the headline, "Yep, I'm gay" (Meem et al. 2010: 353). Regardless of its infamy, the show only lasted one more year. This was attributed to an emphasis on homosexual themes as well as its lacklustre quality (Dow 2001: 128). Whatever the reasons, it provided the basis for an unprecedented number of gay and lesbian televised representations which would emerge in the years to follow

Transformation in higher education, Nov 28, 2019

A sociological exploration of the need for safe spaces for lesbian and gay students on a South Af... more A sociological exploration of the need for safe spaces for lesbian and gay students on a South African university campus', Transformation in Higher Education 4(0), a77.

Gender questions, Oct 15, 2018

This article was informed by a study which focused on the identity construction and deconstructio... more This article was informed by a study which focused on the identity construction and deconstruction of gay male participants, specifically as related to their academic lives. The findings originate from a 2012-2013 qualitative sociological study on the experiences of gay male academics and students on South African university campuses. The article reports on a subset of the data, since it provides an insightful account of these men's navigation between their communal identification with other gay men in social and private contexts. The author argues that participants' responses navigate between the heterosexualisation and the homosexualisation of these spaces, in an attempt to gravitate towards or distance themselves from a gay sensibility through temporary assimilation into "gay spaces" in order to negotiate their sexual agency.

South African review of sociology, Apr 1, 2012

Lesbian and gay studies emerged in the late 1950s and provided what several academics considered ... more Lesbian and gay studies emerged in the late 1950s and provided what several academics considered a homogeneous representation of the lesbian and gay community. Based on the critique of this view, queer theory came to the fore during the early 1990s, as a political initiative to highlight the diverse nature of homosexual experiences. Both paradigms heralded indefatigable insights into the lives of these two sexual minorities, yet without a necessary bridge between the homogeneous and the heterogeneous. The objective of the article is to provide a theoretical contemplation of how the manner in which the principles that lesbian and gay studies and queer theory respectively exude, may complement each other so as to offer a link between the 'homogeneous' and the 'diverse', pertaining to the lived experiences of gay men and lesbian women.

Gender questions, Aug 25, 2017

Queerying Families of Origin was originally published as a special issue for the Journal of GLBT ... more Queerying Families of Origin was originally published as a special issue for the Journal of GLBT Family Studies in 2014. The book provides a rich and detailed account of the experiences and perceptions of self-identified heterosexual family members of GLBT individuals-and it succeeds admirably by building on and citing the earlier work of gender, sexuality and family studies by scholars, in order to provide a "thick descriptive" (Geertz, 1973) account of marginalised individuals within a heteronormative context. In order to curtail critique of providing a monolithic account of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) individuals in relation to the social institution of the family, the authors have included contributions from America, Australia, Italy, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom. The first chapter, "The Transparent and Family Closets: Gay Men and Lesbians and Their Families of Origin", written by Alenka Svab and Roman Kuhar, echoes earlier contributions on the dualism of "the closet"-as both liberating and constrictive. Reporting on how the parents of gay and lesbian youth seek to remain silent about their children's sexual orientation after disclosure, the authors' inductive contribution results in the demarcation of a "transparent closet" and "family closet". The article succeeds in underlining a constructivist focus on familial life as a continuous process. Erika L. Grafsky, writing from an American perspective on "Becoming the Parent of a GLB Son or Daughter", bases her work on eight interviews with parents of sexual minorities. She elaborates on the relational aspects associated with the "disclosure-tofamily" process and provides a counterargument on the preceding narrative of silence

Advances in religious and cultural studies (ARCS) book series, Jun 30, 2023

Agenda (Durban), Jan 2, 2015

abstract Heterosexuality is associated with normative, ‘normal’ or ‘natural’ social and sexual re... more abstract Heterosexuality is associated with normative, ‘normal’ or ‘natural’ social and sexual relations. Concomitantly, those who do not conform to heterosexual standards are ‘othered’. Conforming to normativity creates the “heterosexual imaginary” (Ingraham, 1996) and perpetuates heteronormativity. This article focuses on the dangers of institutionalised heterosexuality, particularly the objectifying of non-normative sexual and gender diversities as anti-humanist. Snowball sampling was used to select 39 fourth-year pre-service teachers from three public South African universities, and focus group discussions revealed that the responses of many of these have heterosexist and homophobic undertones. The three main themes that emerged are objectification of ‘the homosexual’, conflation of ‘the homosexual’ and accommodation of ‘the homosexual’. In response to these findings, objectification and discursive discrimination highlight the way in which language reinforces a binary logic and further perpetuates heteronormativity. Possible ways of addressing discursive discrimination are suggested.

Journal of Lgbt Youth, Nov 16, 2017

As the title aptly indicates, Dennis Francis' new book seeks to "trouble" the ways in which teach... more As the title aptly indicates, Dennis Francis' new book seeks to "trouble" the ways in which teachers teach and learners learn about gender and sexual diversity in South African schools. Francis draws on research with lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth and teachers over a period of two and a half years in the Free State Province through in-depth interviews and observations. The book chronicles the ways in which current educational policies and ideologies reinforce a hidden curriculum in K-12 South African secondary schools, which may in fact favour compulsory heterosexuality. On reading the first two opening chapters, the book appears to merely serve to converge and repeat existing research on homosexuality in South Africa. Findings from such studies have mostly commented on the incongruence between, arguably, one of the most progressive constitutions in the world and the life-worlds of non-heterosexually identified individuals in civil society. But, as one soon discovers, this research investigation has much more on offer. Francis divides his book into three parts: A theoretical and methodological basis for his findings, a thematic analysis of these findings, and concluding recommendations to challenge compulsory heterosexist rhetoric in K-12 secondary school education. The first part comprises of three chapters. Chapter 1 chronicles the supposed "un-African" view of homosexuality, foregrounded by African traditionalists, religious leaders, politicians, and the regulatory power of school policies. Francis concisely critiques the South African Schools Act of 1996 and the Revised National Curriculum Statement which both, in theory, advocates for the promotion of "…human rights, inclusivity and social justice" (p. 7) in primarily the Life Orientation curricula. This notwithstanding, Francis reiterates the findings from several studies which argue that a "…substantial disconnect between progressive legislation…and education policy and practice, from which gender and sexuality diversity is strikingly absent" (p. 7) remains. Chapter 2 continues in this vain, where Francis argues in favour of adopting Kevin Kumashiro's (2002) research on anti-oppressive education through a critically detailed demarcation of the latter's approach. In using this source, he adequately locates Kumashiro's work in a South African school context by engaging the recent contributions of, among others, Thabo Msibi (2014) and Sylvia Tamale (2011). I therefore commend Francis for (inadvertently) underlining the necessity to establish a dialogue between "Northern" and "Southern" theory to retain and encourage a continuous theoretical and empirical dialogue between the two, rather than opting for a totalizing or grand theoretical narrative.

South African review of sociology, Oct 1, 2016

Journal of Homosexuality, Feb 23, 2022

In light of recent studies on the changing views on masculinity, this quantitative study aimed to... more In light of recent studies on the changing views on masculinity, this quantitative study aimed to determine the attitudes of South African undergraduate students toward the display of the tenets associated with orthodox and inclusive masculinities in contact sport, and to determine to what extent these attitudes were predicted by students' gender, race, religiosity, and attitudes toward the importance of primary gender-role sport socialization and homosexuality. Findings, which originated from the data collected through the use of 200 structured interviews, indicated that male and female students endorsed displays of a 'softening' in masculinities in sport, and were slightly opposed toward displays of 'harder' masculinities, a trend that was strongest among women. The more importance these students' ascribed to primary gender-role sports socialization, the more likely they were to support the display of orthodox masculinities in sport, and the less likely they were to endorse inclusive masculinities, with the converse being true for those who were more accepting of homosexuality. The study contributes to current theorization in a twofold way: Firstly, by problematizing a simplistic differentiation between orthodox and inclusive masculine typologies in favor of ascribing to theorization that indicates how the attitudes among students of the said South African university campus arguably attest to the concurrent existence of 'multiple dominant masculinities.' In-keeping with this, the findings arguably echo the Andersonian emphasis on the co-existence of declining levels of homohysteria among younger persons and the continuing prevalence of homophobia among some students on university campuses.

The ‗gay ghetto' as influential space for gay communal identification (i) The visible gay cultura... more The ‗gay ghetto' as influential space for gay communal identification (i) The visible gay cultural space: The homosexual bar and health club (ii) The invisible gay residential space: Gay homes The lesbian and gay movement: A case of ‗pathology abandoned'? (a) The origin and development of Western homophile and liberationist movements (b) South African gay and lesbian liberationist movements: Towards a case for democratisation The ghettoised gay male epitomised as ethnic minority LEARN YOUR LINES: THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF A "HOMOSEXUAL ROLE" McIntosh and the ‗homosexual role': A critical reflection ‗The long and winding road': Gay identity as rationalised theme (a) Theme 1: A sensitised acknowledgement (b) Theme 2: Identity confusion and shame (i) Factors which inhibit homosexual identification (ii) Responsive strategies to identity confusion (c) Theme 3: Identity tolerance through marginality (d) Theme 4: Identity acceptance and assumption (e) Theme 5: Identity synthesis THE GAY ACTOR AS HETERONORMATIVE PUPPET: THE "PERFORMATIVE" QUALITIES OF QUEER THEORY Defining ‗queer theory' Queer theoretical themes (a) Reclamation of the concept ‗queer' (b) Denaturalising heterosexuality (c) The symbolic dualism of ‗the closet' (d) Anti-assimilation and homogenisation Critiquing the ‗queer' CONCLUSION CHAPTER THREE THE "(DE)PROFESSIONALISATION" OF THE GAY MALE IN ACADEMIA: A CASE OF ASSIMILATION OR TRANSGRESSION-A THEORETICAL OVERVIEW 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.3.1 CONCLUSION CHAPTER FOUR RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 4.

Acta Academica, 2011

The article reflects the findings of a qualitative sociological study in which in-depth interview... more The article reflects the findings of a qualitative sociological study in which in-depth interviews and self-administered questionnaires were employed with gay fathers. The article highlights the realisation of the principles of generative fathering in the parenting practices of the fathers and the manner in which pathological views of gay men, in general, influenced these practices of the fathers. One of the findings underscored this objective by emphasising that sexual orientation played a minimal role in the parenting practices of gay fathers. Factors associated with the gay men's own socialisation, parenting skills and support from their marital or life partners proved to be more influential in terms of their role as parents. Die ouerskapspraktyke van Suid-Afrikaanse gay vaders: van patologie tot 'normalisering' Die artikel bied die bevindinge van 'n kwalitatiewe sosiologiese studie waarin in-diepte onderhoude en self-voltooide vraelyste met gay vaders gebruik is. Die artikel het ten doel om die realisering van die beginsels van generatiewe vaderskap in die ouerskapspraktyke van gay vaders uit te lig en om te fokus op die wyse waarop patologiese sienings van gay mans in die algemeen 'n invloed op die ouerskapspraktyke van gay vaders uitgeoefen het. Faktore soos die gay mans se eie sosialisering, ouerskapsvaardighede en ondersteuning van hul huweliks-of lewensmaats het 'n groter invloed op hul rol as vaders gehad.