Women, Coping Strategies, and Social Change: Eastern Cape South Africa (Paperback)

Apartheid had a devastating impact on the entire social and political climate in South Africa. However, South African women were severely affected by the extreme, harsh policies to such an extent that in post-apartheid South Africa, many of the African people who participated in this study reflect, "nothing has changed." This monograph provides a concise exploration of the changing structures in the social organization in Eastern Cape South Africa. Focusing on the target population, Xhosa women who live in rural communities, Dr. Jones explores the cultural and political historical land-scape in post-apartheid society. Utilizing cross-disciplinary approaches, including standard anthropological research methods, such as ethnographic oral histories, surveys, and gender analysis, she con-ceptualizes the attributing socio-political factors affecting the mental and physical health conditions amongst the women and their families. Theoretical models, that is, Selyean stress theory, dependency theories, and social support/buffer theories are used to interpret the data obtained during fieldwork.