Moving Forward
How I Got out of the “Gutters”: Narrating Ex-prisoners’ Life Stories Becoming Social Change Agents in Supporting Rural Township Communities
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Micheal M Van Wyk
Social entrepreneurship education has shown a growing interest in using narrative inquiry-based research strategies to advance the diversity agenda of the marginalised globally. This study examines the life stories of ex-prisoners becoming social entrepreneurs in their respective rural township communities. The conceptual framework for this study is based on the critical events theory, social economics capabilities theory, and adaptive social entrepreneurial constructs. A life history narrative inquiry-based approach was employed for conducting this study. Interviews were conducted, recorded, and analysed. Findings relating from schooling experiences to corporate social responsibility and community engagement emerged from the data. There is much work to be done on furthering the critical events theory and the capability theory to explore issues relating to gender inequality, funding for entrepreneurs, environmental issues, competence, and social class. More empirical data need to be collected on micro-data rural women in entrepreneurship. Research need to be conducted to collect data on issues of gendered nature of preference formation, culture, social class, and the constraints on choice of business.
Breaking New Ground: Telling the Stories of Five First Generation Hispanic Music Education Majors at a Mid-sized United States University
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Nancy Glen
My paper will describe the results of research on the impact of being a First Generation Hispanic student (FGHS), majoring in Music Education at a mid-sized university in the US. Data were collected through recorded interviews with each student, through a variety of questions designed to learn about their life histories, families, and experiences as a student. Students identifying as FGHS self-selected to be part of the study. Interview questions were designed with the director of a campus resource center for Hispanic students, in order to maintain the highest level of cultural sensitivity. Results have been reviewed, pursuant to the goal of identifying how their backgrounds, families, and self-identifications have impacted their experiences in college, and how they envision their future personal and career lives after their education is complete. This research determines how students from an underrepresented population on this university campus describe their experiences, and how their families have reacted to their career and life plans. Their range of responses has fallen on a wide continuum, and implications will be discussed as they pertain to whether their experiences can be generalized to their ethnic background, and how this has impacted their college experience.
You're Not Welcome Here: Perceived Discriminatory Experiences of Lesbian Employees in the South African Context
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Lusanda Sekaja, Byron G. Adams, Catherine Lotter
The discrimination of gay and lesbian individuals is widely known from a global perspective. However, there is a dearth of studies on this topic, especially from the lesbian point of view in the African context. This study specifically explores the nature of perceived discriminatory practices as experienced by South African lesbian employees. A qualitative approach was used with phenomenological hermeneutics as the method of data analysis. Data were collected through the means of semi-structured interviews with nine lesbian employees from various industries within the Gauteng region. The findings suggest that lesbian individuals experience discrimination at work. The predominant themes generated were fear of coming out, differential treatment, us and them, victimisation, inappropriate jokes, stereotyping, sexual harassment, prejudice, gossip, and religious intolerance. The study will contribute to the body of knowledge pertaining to the discrimination of the LGBTQ, especially lesbian, community in the South African context. Moreover, it is hoped that this awareness will bring about much-needed changes to management practices and a re-examination of human resource practices and policies regarding diversity training and anti-discrimination.
