Gender and the ownership of English in South Africa

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the role gender plays in the ownership of English as an additional language in South Africa. The question of who is a ‘legitimate’ owner of the dominant language is crucial for democratic transformation, as it is related to the allocation of opportunities for socio‐economic empowerment. After deconstructing the notion that only native speakers can be considered legitimate owners, I will present an empirical study which explores how a group of black South African university students are taking ownership of English as part of their process of self‐empowerment, and how this process is implicated in the re(construction) of gender identities.