Microsoft Word - PhD Thesis Final.pdf - University of Limpopo ...

emerging continental spirit of Pan-Africanism (characterised by concepts
such as African Renaissance and the structures, African Union and
NEPAD)? Do they regard themselves/are they regarded only as South
Africans? Their attitude and alignment to the current provincial, district and
municipal demarcations (and the previous demarcations, including the
homelands) are also important in determining how all these shaped – or
continue to shape – their identities. Therefore, the impact of the interplay
between macro-, meso- and micro-level contexts (including the global level)
that are applicable to the Makgabeng communities, regarding the process of
communal identity formation, are the main focus of this study. The viewpoint
held in this study is that all these contextual levels had shaped – and
continue to shape - the identities in the Makgabeng area in one way or
another.
Although the contexts distinguished above have a profound impact on the
formation of identities in the Makgabeng area, they are not only contexts
that influenced the process of identity formation in that area. There are other
aspects which play a role in identity processes such as the media
(especially radio, television and popular magazines) as well as other forces
which infiltrated the Makgabeng area from outside, especially as a result of
the movement of people, ideas and goods – another important trend of
globalisation. In this study, the importance of fashion, music, and role
models in influencing identities in the Makgabeng area was also looked into.
13