Loneliness of older black South African women subjected to forcible relocation
Background: A cohort of older black South African women, forcibly relocated during apartheid, has grown old in these places. Even after 50 years, residents in a rural township expressed no connection to place and ruptured intergenerational relations. Their sense of community was based almost exclusi...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2019-01-01
|
| Series: | Global Health Action |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2019.1672329 |
| _version_ | 1819161454792671232 |
|---|---|
| author | Vera Roos Norah Keating Carlien Kahl |
| author_facet | Vera Roos Norah Keating Carlien Kahl |
| author_sort | Vera Roos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: A cohort of older black South African women, forcibly relocated during apartheid, has grown old in these places. Even after 50 years, residents in a rural township expressed no connection to place and ruptured intergenerational relations. Their sense of community was based almost exclusively on their links with others who shared their history of relocation. Objective: This article seeks to understand loneliness of a group of older women who have been rendered vulnerable by longstanding exclusion from community, services and material resources. We use loneliness as a metric for exclusion from social relations. Methods: Sixteen Setswana-speaking women in Ikageng, a township in North West Province of South Africa (age 61–73), participated in the Mmogo-method® and open-ended interviews. Textual data were analyzed using thematic analysis, visual data analysis of elements and symbolic representations of loneliness. Results: Loneliness is a powerfully unpleasant experience of not being able to interact with other people in general, or more specifically as a result of the loss of particular people (including spouses, parents and children) and isolation provoked by the impact of relational interactions and group dynamics. Loneliness was mitigated by socializing and gathering for traditional activities, performing spiritual rituals, and keeping busy individually or with others, thus reinforcing a core theme that any social interaction alleviates loneliness. Conclusions: Even though loneliness is powerfully unpleasant, it is an expression of the importance of social interactions formed in a particular context. In the face of longstanding societal exclusion and disconnection from community, social connections are central to identity and to survival. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T17:12:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-577ecf526d624b138828f4742eb02404 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1654-9880 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T17:12:36Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Health Action |
| spelling | doaj.art-577ecf526d624b138828f4742eb024042022-12-21T18:19:02ZengTaylor & Francis GroupGlobal Health Action1654-98802019-01-0112110.1080/16549716.2019.16723291672329Loneliness of older black South African women subjected to forcible relocationVera Roos0Norah Keating1Carlien Kahl2North-West UniversityNorth-West UniversityNorth-West UniversityBackground: A cohort of older black South African women, forcibly relocated during apartheid, has grown old in these places. Even after 50 years, residents in a rural township expressed no connection to place and ruptured intergenerational relations. Their sense of community was based almost exclusively on their links with others who shared their history of relocation. Objective: This article seeks to understand loneliness of a group of older women who have been rendered vulnerable by longstanding exclusion from community, services and material resources. We use loneliness as a metric for exclusion from social relations. Methods: Sixteen Setswana-speaking women in Ikageng, a township in North West Province of South Africa (age 61–73), participated in the Mmogo-method® and open-ended interviews. Textual data were analyzed using thematic analysis, visual data analysis of elements and symbolic representations of loneliness. Results: Loneliness is a powerfully unpleasant experience of not being able to interact with other people in general, or more specifically as a result of the loss of particular people (including spouses, parents and children) and isolation provoked by the impact of relational interactions and group dynamics. Loneliness was mitigated by socializing and gathering for traditional activities, performing spiritual rituals, and keeping busy individually or with others, thus reinforcing a core theme that any social interaction alleviates loneliness. Conclusions: Even though loneliness is powerfully unpleasant, it is an expression of the importance of social interactions formed in a particular context. In the face of longstanding societal exclusion and disconnection from community, social connections are central to identity and to survival.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2019.1672329black older womenlonelinesssouth africasocial exclusionremedies for loneliness |
| spellingShingle | Vera Roos Norah Keating Carlien Kahl Loneliness of older black South African women subjected to forcible relocation Global Health Action black older women loneliness south africa social exclusion remedies for loneliness |
| title | Loneliness of older black South African women subjected to forcible relocation |
| title_full | Loneliness of older black South African women subjected to forcible relocation |
| title_fullStr | Loneliness of older black South African women subjected to forcible relocation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Loneliness of older black South African women subjected to forcible relocation |
| title_short | Loneliness of older black South African women subjected to forcible relocation |
| title_sort | loneliness of older black south african women subjected to forcible relocation |
| topic | black older women loneliness south africa social exclusion remedies for loneliness |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2019.1672329 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT veraroos lonelinessofolderblacksouthafricanwomensubjectedtoforciblerelocation AT norahkeating lonelinessofolderblacksouthafricanwomensubjectedtoforciblerelocation AT carlienkahl lonelinessofolderblacksouthafricanwomensubjectedtoforciblerelocation |