Kylie E Marais | University of Cape Town (original) (raw)
Papers by Kylie E Marais
Agenda, 2019
Sexual pleasure is complex, not only due to the many ways that it manifests in private, but also ... more Sexual pleasure is complex, not only due to the many ways that it manifests in private, but also in the multiple meanings assigned to it. Sexual pleasure continues to exist in relation to taboo and shame, and remains stigmatised and silenced within public discourses and private discussions (Muzenda, 2014). Pleasure can also be highly gendered with men being more likely to orgasm than women, thus giving rise to sexual inequality. As a cultural phenomenon, sexual pleasure can therefore have broader social implications that both include and go beyond physical bodily experiences. Although widely studied from a range of disciplines in the Global North, sexual pleasure remains understudied especially within African contexts where female sexualities continue to be misrepresented through colonial lenses. In response to these misrepresentations, there have recently been calls by African feminists to reframe the way we think about, talk about, research, and construct contemporary African sexualities. Drawing from the research and work of various African feminists, including Stella Nyanzi (2011), Sylvia Tamale (2011), and Patricia McFadden (2003) and others, this focus article will outline how these feminists are challenging: (1) colonial constructs by encouraging alternative ways of thinking about and researching African sexualities through the inclusion of sexual pleasure; (2) patriarchal paradigms by enlightening and empowering women to view sexual pleasure as a liberating and powerful force; and (3) cultural sexual silences by encouraging and enabling women to engage in conversations about sex and their sexual needs and pleasures. By focusing on the concept of sexual pleasure, this article will explore the different ways that African feminists are reimagining and reframing contemporary African sexualities. Furthermore, by examining women's lived sexual experiences, it will also be shown how these feminists have the capacity to unsilence women's sexualities, thus enabling women to reclaim their sexual pleasure and power.
Cultural evolution is a theory based on the evidence that culture has changed over a period of ti... more Cultural evolution is a theory based on the evidence that culture has changed over a period of time as an adaptive response to various stimuli. The concept of “memes” has therefore been introduced to further explain how cultures originate and the process by which they are formed and transmitted. This paper focuses on answering the following questions: (a) Can memes be used to propagate “good” in societies or communities? (b) What will the role of memes be in the future if everything else around us seems to be evolving at an equal – if not faster – rate? (c) Can memes be used to transform a developing country or continent into a developed one?
The concept of memes can be explained by comparing it to genes, and by realizing that, like genes, memes are capable of “replication” and can thus spread rapidly through a population of people to form the different cultures that are seen today. Cultures, however, are not unique to human beings and other examples have been found in the animal kingdom that confirms this. As to whether memes are useful and will still be available in the future can only be determined by analysing the memes that define the myriad of cultures that exist today, be it social or technological cultures.
Agenda, 2019
Sexual pleasure is complex, not only due to the many ways that it manifests in private, but also ... more Sexual pleasure is complex, not only due to the many ways that it manifests in private, but also in the multiple meanings assigned to it. Sexual pleasure continues to exist in relation to taboo and shame, and remains stigmatised and silenced within public discourses and private discussions (Muzenda, 2014). Pleasure can also be highly gendered with men being more likely to orgasm than women, thus giving rise to sexual inequality. As a cultural phenomenon, sexual pleasure can therefore have broader social implications that both include and go beyond physical bodily experiences. Although widely studied from a range of disciplines in the Global North, sexual pleasure remains understudied especially within African contexts where female sexualities continue to be misrepresented through colonial lenses. In response to these misrepresentations, there have recently been calls by African feminists to reframe the way we think about, talk about, research, and construct contemporary African sexualities. Drawing from the research and work of various African feminists, including Stella Nyanzi (2011), Sylvia Tamale (2011), and Patricia McFadden (2003) and others, this focus article will outline how these feminists are challenging: (1) colonial constructs by encouraging alternative ways of thinking about and researching African sexualities through the inclusion of sexual pleasure; (2) patriarchal paradigms by enlightening and empowering women to view sexual pleasure as a liberating and powerful force; and (3) cultural sexual silences by encouraging and enabling women to engage in conversations about sex and their sexual needs and pleasures. By focusing on the concept of sexual pleasure, this article will explore the different ways that African feminists are reimagining and reframing contemporary African sexualities. Furthermore, by examining women's lived sexual experiences, it will also be shown how these feminists have the capacity to unsilence women's sexualities, thus enabling women to reclaim their sexual pleasure and power.
Cultural evolution is a theory based on the evidence that culture has changed over a period of ti... more Cultural evolution is a theory based on the evidence that culture has changed over a period of time as an adaptive response to various stimuli. The concept of “memes” has therefore been introduced to further explain how cultures originate and the process by which they are formed and transmitted. This paper focuses on answering the following questions: (a) Can memes be used to propagate “good” in societies or communities? (b) What will the role of memes be in the future if everything else around us seems to be evolving at an equal – if not faster – rate? (c) Can memes be used to transform a developing country or continent into a developed one?
The concept of memes can be explained by comparing it to genes, and by realizing that, like genes, memes are capable of “replication” and can thus spread rapidly through a population of people to form the different cultures that are seen today. Cultures, however, are not unique to human beings and other examples have been found in the animal kingdom that confirms this. As to whether memes are useful and will still be available in the future can only be determined by analysing the memes that define the myriad of cultures that exist today, be it social or technological cultures.