Research Articles (Sociology)

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When autocratization backfires : how overreach sparked mass resistance in Thailand and Bangladesh
Sombatpoonsiri, Janjira (Routledge, 2026)
Autocratization is typically characterized by executive aggrandizement and elite capture of key institutions, leading to systematic restriction of political competition, independent media, and civil society. Conventional analyses often emphasize the suppressive aspect of these processes, highlighting the erosion of civil society space and the curtailment of effective collective action. However, this article contends that autocratic overreach can inadvertently create the conditions for mass mobilization, posing significant risks to autocratized regimes. This argument is developed through an analysis of anti-government protests in Thailand (2020) and Bangladesh (2024), which illustrate a dual mechanism of autocratic blowback: institutional overreach and brutal repression. Together, these dynamics provoked widespread grievances, galvanized mass protest participation, and generated openings for democratic resurgence. By examining these cases, the article contributes to the growing literature on democratic resilience and calls for greater scholarly attention to the interactive processes between autocratization and resistance.
Parental attitude towards sex education : a study of demographic and socio-cultural determinants in rural Nigeria
Raji, Abdullateef; Sulaiman, Lanre Abdul-Rasheed; Issa, Moshood; Muhammed, Abubakar Yunusa; Yusuff, Ridwan Olabisi; Abdulbaqi, Salihu Zakariyyah; Akor, Sunday Joseph (Springer, 2026-03)
INTRODUCTION : In contemporary rural Nigeria, the level of engagement of teenagers (secondary school students) in risky sexual behaviours is growing, and it has been linked to the rising rate of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STIs). While there are many studies on factors influencing the attitude of parents/guardians on the inclusion of sex education in secondary school curriculum, a research gap exists concerning the specific strengths of socio-cultural factors influencing parental attitude towards the teaching of sex education in secondary schools in rural Nigeria. Therefore, this study seeks to address this gap by investigating socio-cultural factors influencing parents/guardians’ attitude towards the adoption of sex education in secondary schools in rural Nigeria. METHODS : A cross-sectional survey design was adopted. Multi-stage sampling technique was adopted to select (n = 4620). The data were collected in the year 2023 using a questionnaire schedule. Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive analysis (frequency distribution tables and percentage) was done to describe and summarize the data. Also, inferential analysis (regressions) was done to test the formulated hypotheses. RESULTS : The results revealed that ethnicity (3.21 [2.54–6.57]; p = 0.001), educational level (7.78 [7.29–13.11]; p = 0.014), occupation (− 2.41 [(− 1.32)–(− 5.19)]; p = 0.001), religiosity (5.34 [4.13–6.16]; p = 0.001) and cultural belief (5.94 [5.18–8.47]; p = 0.001) have significant effect on the parents/guardians attitudes towards the adoption of sex education in secondary schools in rural Nigeria. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS : The factors influencing parental attitude towards the inclusion of sex education in secondary school curriculum include religiosity, cultural belief, level of education, ethnicity and occupation. Therefore, awareness programs about the importance of sex education for teens should be intensified at all levels. POLICY IMPLICATIONS : The findings of this study inform policy especially enlightenment programs for parents/guardians on the need and importance of sex education in reducing risky sexual behaviours among secondary school students in rural Nigeria. Most parents/guardians have negative attitudes towards it because of a lack of awareness.
Exploring levels of mental health : a focus on financially disadvantaged students in the South African higher education system
Wilson Fadiji, Angelina; Wildschut, Angelique; Cromhout, Amanda; Megbowon, Ebenezer Toyin (Sage, 2025-12)
In the South African higher education context, students funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme might be predisposed to greater challenges to their well-being, as they are recognised as an especially vulnerable social group. However, quantitative reporting of the levels of well-being experienced by this group of students is limited. In acknowledgement of this gap in understanding well-being in this group and towards the growing emergent literature on the well-being of higher education students more broadly, a study to explore the well-being of students from low-income households is warranted. Consequently, this article focuses on identifying the proportions of National Student Financial Aid Scheme-funded students who fall into three distinct well-being categories (flourishing, moderate mental health, and languishing) using data from a cross-sectional survey conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis also considers differences in well-being across gender, race, field of study, and institutional type. Participants included 6562 National Student Financial Aid Scheme students (males = 44.9%, mean age = 22.83, SD = 4.88). Findings indicated that 34.2% of students were flourishing, while the majority reported moderate mental health. Males, Black Africans, Education students and technical and vocational education and training college students had better overall mental health. The differences across demographic variables can be instructive to guide interventions tailored to support the groups that have lower proportions of flourishers. Future research could also build on such results using longitudinal or panel studies to determine whether the trends and levels of well-being will remain the same over time and the covariates of well-being in different subsamples of students within the South African higher education context.
Keeping Herstory silent in learners history textbooks
Nkabini, Senzelokuhle Mpumelelo (Emerald, 2026)
PURPOSE : The representation of women within the sub-section South African War and Union of 1899 to 1902 in nine South African grade 10 learners' history textbooks is the main focal point of this study. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH : An intersectional feminist lens guided this qualitative study that focuses on the depiction, description and interpretation of women regarding the South African War and Union of 1899 to 1902 in nine South African CAPS-approved grade 10 learners' history textbooks. Two themes, Sexism, and Exclusion and minimal inclusion based on race, were derived from the historical text examination and analyses. FINDINGS : The findings revealed that women are misrepresented and under-represented in this sub-section compared to their male counterparts. Moreover, this form of denial has remained unchanged and uncontested. Hence, presently, prominent female figures are still silenced in these history textbooks. ORIGINALITY/VALUE : The introspection of women's representation within South African grade 10 learners' history textbooks adds to the existing literature on history education by providing an analysis of how women are depicted, described and interpreted in these learning resources. This is crucial because history textbooks have the potential of contributing to sexist and racially prejudiced mindsets that can lead to negative effects in schools and communities surrounding the school/s.
A child protection issue : exploring the causes of school-based violence in South Africa from a bio-ecological systems perspective
Sibanda, Sipho; Masinga, Poppy Kate (Elsevier, 2025-07)
BACKGROUND : School based violence in South Africa has severe consequences for learners, families, educators, and the entire community. Being aware of the complex causes of violence in schools enables social workers and other service providers to respond effectively through well targeted interventions and services. OBJECTIVES : The article explores the causes of school-based violence in South Africa from a bio-ecological systems perspective. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING : The study was conducted at nine high schools in South Africa. 47 grade 9 and 10 learners and 30 educators participated in the study. METHODS : Using a qualitative case-study design, data was collected from learners and educators through focus group discussions and analysed using thematic analysis. Measures were put in place to ensure the quality of data. FINDINGS : The findings indicate that school-based violence is caused by several intersecting factors which include individual-factors such as learner indiscipline; family-related factors such as poverty; inter-personal factors such as peer pressure and status; provocation and revenge; gambling; community-related factors such as the prevalence of gangsterism; alcohol and drugs in communities; school-related factors such as the unprofessional behaviour of educators; and structural factors such as racism and prejudice. CONCLUSIONS : Violence in South African schools should be declared a child protection issue caused by multiple interacting individual, family, group, community, and socio-economic historical factors. The design of a comprehensive school-based violence prevention programme guided by the bio-ecological systems perspective is recommended to address the complex causes of school-based violence as a way of safeguarding the rights and wellbeing of school-going children HIGHLIGHTS • Violence prevalent in South African schools is a child protection issue. • School-based violence has severe consequences for learners, educators, families, and the entire community. • Violence in schools is caused by several bio-ecological system issues which interact with one another within context of a learner. • Being aware of the multiple causes of violence enables social workers to respond effectively through well targeted interventions and services. • A comprehensive school-based violence prevention programme be designed to address violence in South African schools.
Social service providers' understanding of the consequences of human trafficking on women survivors
Sibanda, Sipho; Sambo, Juliet Patience; Dahal, Sanjeev (MDPI, 2025-05-12)
Human trafficking for forced labour or sexual exploitation often takes the form of forced migration. It is the third-largest crime industry in the world and has severe consequences on the women survivors. Trafficking violates the safety, welfare, and human rights of the victims and forces physical and psychological imprisonment on them. Despite the significant number of women being trafficked, little is known about the best ways to address their needs. This article highlights the understanding developed by social service providers in South Africa regarding the consequences of human trafficking on women survivors. Being aware of the complex challenges faced by women survivors of human trafficking enables social service providers to respond to their needs effectively through appropriate interventions and services. Data for this qualitative study were collected through one-on-one interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. Social service providers understand the following to be related to women survivors of trafficking: involvement in drugs and sex work, dependency on the perpetrator, lack of self-esteem, self-blame and shame, being disoriented, psychological challenges, lack of financial support, health issues, isolation, and loneliness. To be relevant and effective, services should be packaged in a manner that addresses all the challenges faced by women survivors of human trafficking.
Xenophobic attacks against asylum seekers, refugees, and migrant entrepreneurs in Atteridgeville, South Africa : a social identity perspective
Masinga, Poppy; Sibanda, Sipho; Lelope, Lekopo Alinah (MDPI, 2025-09-19)
Refugees are forced to flee their countries of origin due to factors beyond their control, and expect to find safety, peace, freedom, and have their basic needs met. Most engage in entrepreneurial activities to make a living. However, some refugees experience xenophobic attacks in host nations. Guided by the Social Identity Theory (SIT) to explore the phenomenon of xenophobic attacks against refugees in Atteridgeville, South Africa, this paper describes the factors contributing to xenophobic attacks against them. Participants were selected using the snowball sampling technique. Data were collected from 10 refugee entrepreneurs using one-on-one interviews guided by a semi-structured interview schedule. Data were analysed using thematic data analysis. The findings revealed the political and socio-economic factors behind the refugees’ exodus from their country of origin. In trying to better their lives, refugees encounter several bureaucratic challenges when formalising their asylum and refugee status in South Africa. The study established that xenophobic attacks on refugee entrepreneurs were influenced by numerous factors, including jealousy, hatred of foreigners, unemployment, and lack of job opportunities for young black South Africans. In addition, poverty and crime were identified as factors responsible for exacerbating xenophobic attacks. Based on the findings of this study, the social work profession has a pellucid and pivotal role to play in addressing the individual, group, community, systemic, institutional, and structural level factors responsible for xenophobic attacks on refugee entrepreneurs in Atteridgeville. The study recommends that further studies focus on designing multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral measures for addressing xenophobic attacks against refugee entrepreneurs.
Hindutva and anti-Christian violence in contemporary India
Selvaraj, M. Sudhir; Nielsen, Kenneth Bo (Routledge, 2025)
In this special issue introduction, we analyse the trajectory and forms of anti-Christian violence in India and its role in the wider Hindu nationalist project today. Inspired by Galtung’s work on direct, structural, and cultural violence, we show how different forms of anti-Christian violence have waxed, waned, and combined in shifting constellations at different moments of India’s postcolonial political history and in different state contexts. At the current conjuncture, however, the imagined threat of ‘the Christian Other’ has acquired an unprecedented centrality to Hindu nationalist politics, producing a systemic escalation in anti-Christian violence across many states. This violence is, we argue, characterised by a strong convergence of direct, structural, and cultural forms of violence, involving vigilante attacks and police complicity, but also an increasingly coercive use of state law, coupled with the production of a wider cultural common sense about the anti-national essence of non-Hindu religious minorities.
Afterword : whither Hindu nationalism and its others?
Nilsen, Alf Gunvald (Routledge, 2025)
Instances of anti-Christian violence in India reveal continuities and changes in the Hindu nationalist project. In terms of the former, I argue that the accounts of anti-Christian violence across the articles in this special issue testify to the ability of Hindu nationalism to move across social, political, and cultural terrains and to operate with long-term strategies for achieving its political goals. In terms of the latter, I argue that the articles also show us the ability of Hindu nationalism to transmogrify and shape-shift as it expands its imprint across India.
‘Wipe away the remaining signs’ : Hindu nationalist assemblage politics and the Christian other in Goa
Nielsen, Kenneth Bo (Routledge, 2025)
This article analyses the consolidation of Hindu nationalist politics in the Indian state of Goa, with a particular emphasis on political transformations occurring over the last decade. Unlike in many other parts of India, where Indian Muslims have been cast as the prime ‘antagonistic other’ of Hindu nationalism, the article shows how in Goa it is Goan Christians who have increasingly come to occupy this position. This argument is substantiated through an analysis of recent Hindu nationalist mobilisations centred on anti-Christian tropes and issues. Building on this, the article suggests that Hindu nationalism in contemporary Goa may be understood as a form of assemblage politics that is highly attuned to the local context and coarticulates with regional histories, circumstances, and symbolic registers. This politics, crucially, advances through a flexible alignment of organisations, institutions, and actors across the political and civil society divide, effectively connecting mainstream and so-called ‘fringe’ Hindu nationalist groups in the pursuit of a shared political mission across scales.
Writing the 1973 Durban strikes : the 'birth of independent trade unions'
Bonnin, Debby (Transformation, 2024)
The 'Durban strikes' is a signifier of many things – the 'start' of the independent labour movement, the onset of a period of labour reform, and the impetus for the resistance that eventually bought down the apartheid regime. While a Google Scholar search yields thousands of references, research specifically focusing on the strikes themselves has been limited. What, then, constitutes the scholarship of the Durban strikes? This article locates, documents and analyses the archive of research and writing on the 1973 Durban strikes. It poses the following questions: How extensive is the literature on the Durban strikes? What are the narratives of the strikes? What are the main themes in this literature? Does the literature change over time? The article argues that three distinct narratives emerge from the writings on the Durban Strikes. First, there is a focus on the causes of the strikes. Second, there is an argument suggesting that the strikes were unorganised and spontaneous. Third, there is the assertion that the 1973 Durban strikes marked the birth of the independent trade union movement. The narrative of the Durban strikes as the genesis of the independent trade union movement has become the dominant narrative over time. The article concludes by arguing that 50 years later, the IEE publication The Durban Strikes 1973 remains the seminal research on the strikes.
Commemorating the 1973 Durban strikes : 50 years on
Bonnin, Debby; WeNkosi, uMbuso; Sitas, Ari (Transformation, 2024)
This Special Issue of Transformation commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the 1973 Durban Strikes. The papers are drawn from a conference held at the Durban University of Technology in January 2023. Initiated by Omar Badsha, the conference (as discussed in the piece by Bianca Tame) was organised by a small group of labour sociologists, historians and activists – Omar Badsha (South Africa History Online), Sithembiso Bhengu (Chris Hani Institute), Debby Bonnin (University of Pretoria), Musawenkosi Malabela (Chris Hani Institute), Monique Marks (Durban University of Technology), Noor Nieftagodien (University of Witwatersrand), Ari Sitas (University of Cape Town), Nicole Ulrich (University of Fort Hare) and the late Eddie Webster (University of Witwatersrand).
Trade unions in my time - an intergenerational discussion
Bonnin, Debby (Transformation, 2024)
This is an edited version of the panel discussion that took place at the Conference ‘1973 Durban Strikes – Celebrating 50 Years’ January 26-28, 2023, held at the Durban University of Technology, Durban. The panel discussion was set for two hours on the first day of the conference; it was followed by questions and debates from the floor. These continued in the first session of the second day. The discussions were recorded, transcribed and then edited by Debby Bonnin. Questions and comments from the floor have been kept anonymous as participants were not asked to give permission for their questions to be published.
Negotiating the boundaries of farmerhood : class, race, and identity in the new rural South Africa
Dyzenhaus, Alex; Holmes, Carolyn E. (Routledge, 2025)
Farmers play a veto role in democratization because of their economic standing and their symbolic status as keepers of a conservative rural space. In South Africa, the classification of “farmer” was historically reserved for white land-owners, but democratization promised land reform and rural integration. This paper examines the ways the category of “farmer” has changed with these reforms. Using qualitative interviews with white and Black farmers, the paper finds distinct variation in the levels of integration of the category of “farmer” between white English-speaking and white Afrikaans-speaking farmers. Despite their reputation for liberality, there is less meaningful integration within English-speaking farming communities. Afrikaans-speaking farmers, who have a reputation for conservatism, have higher barriers to entry, but emerging farmers who meet these criteria are more meaningfully integrated into the farming community. These findings elucidate the complex interactions of threat, class, and politics that create rural identity in democratic transitions.
Factors influencing intimate partner controlling behaviour against rural women in South Africa
Ojogiwa, Oluwaseun T.; Sulaiman, Lanre Abdul-Rasheed; Issah, Moshood (BioMed Central, 2025-08)
BACKGROUND : The widespread issue of gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa profoundly affects various aspects of life, necessitating government intervention for prevention. While numerous studies have found intimate partner controlling behaviour (IPCB) to be more prevalent in rural areas, the factors contributing to its high prevalence have not been unmasked. This study, therefore, investigates the factors influencing IPCB against rural women in South Africa. METHODS : The study was based on the 2016 South Africa Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS). Data was extracted for married rural women aged 15–49 years. Frequency distribution, mean, and standard deviation were the descriptive statistics used, while bivariate and multivariate logistics regression were the inferential statistics used to establish the factors associated with IPCB in rural areas of South Africa. RESULTS : Age, race, partner alcohol consumption, years in current residence, account ownership, and household wealth index were the factors associated with the high prevalence of IPCB among rural women in South Africa. Women who were younger, had partners who drank alcohol, lived in poorer households, or had no personal bank account had higher odds of experiencing IPCB. CONCLUSION : Age, race, partner alcohol consumption, years in current residence, account ownership, and household wealth index were the factors influencing IPCB against rural women in South Africa. Thus, younger women, Black African women, those in poor households, and women with partners who consume alcohol, are more vulnerable to IPCB.
Amplifying global majority youth voices through creating safe(r), brave(r), and riskier spaces : the theatre of climate action (ToCA) project
Arya, Dena; Hiraide, Lydia Ayame; Mahali, Alude; Johnstone, Kristina (MDPI, 2025-06)
Youth make up a fifth of the world’s population and will suffer the consequences of the climate catastrophe to differing extents depending on their social and geographical locations. The climate crisis is thus a matter of both intergenerational and racial/imperial injustice. Intersectional and interdisciplinary climate justice approaches are growing in the field of youth climate activism and, more often, these are necessarily engaging with collaborative methods to platform the voices of marginalised youth and those who live the colonial difference. Our paper provides early reflections from a youth climate activism artistic research project titled ‘Theatre of Climate Action: Amplifying Youth Voices for Climate Justice in Guadeloupe and South Africa’ (ToCA). In this project, sixteen young people aged 18-30 from South Africa and Guadeloupe collaborate to design, produce, and create theatre performances that reflect their exploration of climate justice through their lived experiences using artistic research methods. Specifically, we examine the opportunities and challenges in using the framework of Safe(r), Brave(r), and Riskier Spaces to support collaborative and emancipatory art-making practices that allow youth to become co-creators in this project. Insights revealed that an intentional embrace of safety, bravery, and risk as an ethico-political basis for art making was critical to cultivate a sense of community, trust, and belonging for youth co-creators.
Towards urban alter-politics : scholar-activists situated solidarities in Philippine housing struggles
Arcilla, Chester Antonino Cunan (Cambridge University Press, 2025-11)
In this paper, I marked the critical alter-political works of urban scholar-activists in the Philippines. Slums are at the heart of capitalist dispossessions. Slumdwellers live, survive, negotiate, and resist on an everyday basis. In the Philippines, the struggles of slum community organisations are strongly influenced, formed, and pulled in divergent ideological trajectories by contending larger political formations. I draw on my own experience and that of 20 Filipino urban scholar-activists with varied political commitments, reflecting on decades of community work, to highlight the alter-works and challenges of navigating the web of political heterogeneity within urban poor organisations and movements. By scholar-activists, I do not refer solely to those who are based in universities, but to the many who struggle every day to unearth subaltern political knowledges and collectively fight for the right to adequate housing, as well as, for some, the right to the city. I enumerate the multiple functions and necessary labours of being 'embedded' in these complex politics. We engage in political advising, framing, networking, organizing, translating, and capacity-building. Caught in a complex web that may necessitate strategic essentialisation, silencing, and foreclosures, scholar-activists play a crucial role of strategic facilitation that connects collective forms of living among urban surplus lives and corrodes neoliberal urban dispossessions. These alter-works are continuous efforts towards situated solidarities, where urban scholar activists critically draw from and reshape ‘inherited’ social movement frames and strategies grounded on actually existing subaltern realities, capacities, and political opportunities.
Making Miss Diva : idealizing femininity and new embodied nationalism in India
Roy, Ahonaa (Routledge, 2024)
This paper summarizes a narrative-based account of a beauty pageant in India that highlights gender-liminal representations and identities. The title of the pageant – Miss Diva – suggests the internationalization of beauty, body and aesthetics. This essay has three major aims: 1) to reveal the primacy of sexuality over gender that corresponds to gender pluralism and varied gender transgressive politics within the imperative of embodied desires; 2) to discuss the ‘local’ commercial conditions and how gender-liminal subjectivities are patterned within modernity’s commodified cultural representation which is pluralistic in nature; and 3) to envision beauty and representational politics within the vocabulary of the nation-based identity. This paper provides an account of the complex interconnections between the modern nation and its gender(ed) subjectivities, maintaining a balance between global/local standards.
Emerging powers and the political economy of the southern interregnum
Nilsen, Alf Gunvald (Routledge, 2025)
How do we best conceptualize the global South and its role in the rapidly changing world system of the early twenty-first century? This article approaches this question through a critical engagement with narratives centred on the idea of a rising South, and especially of claims that emerging powers across Asia, Latin America and Africa are spearheading progressive transformations across the contemporary world system. Against such claims, the article argues that whereas emerging powers have been instrumental in driving a reconfiguration of global wealth hierarchies, governing elites in the global South confront deep disjunctures between accumulation and legitimation. These disjunctures, I argue, originate in processes of neoliberalization that have deepened inequality and precarity and manifest in widespread political unrest. Rather than a simple story of a rising South, I argue that the current conjuncture is best understood as a Southern interregnum – that is, as a protracted moment of crisis in which governing elites in emerging powers mobilize new hegemonic projects to achieve legitimacy. I then discuss what the character and trajectory of these hegemonic projects – and the wider political economy of the southern interregnum – entail for the future of fracturing and turbulent world order and popular classes in the global South. Specifically, I focus on southern authoritarian populism as a distinctive type of right-wing hegemonic project, and how such projects attempt to reconcile accumulation and legitimation.
Sexual and gender-based violence in artisanal and small-scale mining in Ghana : implications for African women's socioeconomic empowerment and well-being
Arthur-Holmes, Francis; Busia, Kwaku Abrefa; Amponsah, Enoch Boafo; Mengba, Jennifer Dokbila (Elsevier, 2025-09)
This paper examines the complexities of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in Africa, drawing from qualitative interviews with 38 women miners and 9 non-miners in Ghana. Our findings revealed five themes; 1) sex for mining jobs/roles and trading space protection, 2) physical aggression towards women miners during work, 3) sexual exploitations and manipulations, 4) everyday sexual harassment at mine sites: body touching and sexist comments, and 5) emotional/psychological abuse – which underlie women's experiences of SGBV in ASM spaces. These findings have implications for women's empowerment in ASM as discussed in the paper.

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