Abstract
In many emerging economies worldwide, and in South Africa in particular, sizeable investments have been made in education with the hope of increasing literacy rates and hence producing a workforce that will fit into the job market. Thus it is important to understand the context and literacy materials within South African classrooms and their impact. This article looks at the novel Broken promises by Roz Haden, which is read in many South African classrooms. From a post-structural feminist theory and functional language theory, we analyse how the portrayal of characters and storyline can have an impact on young readers’ identity construction in relation to the novel’s predominant discourses. The findings show that men are still portrayed as dominant in their own right within society whereas women are defined in relation to men. Unchallenged, this portrayal can continue to perpetuate gendered stereotypes, which would affect young people’s functionality in society. We therefore argue that while novels are good for improving literacy among young people, the messages they contain should be deconstructed and challenged so that young people can make informed decisions regarding their gender identities.
Highlights
In this article we focus on the gender constructions of girls and boys in contemporary youth literature from a South African context
What does the present study of Broken promises offer as a social and cultural commentary on questions of gender and language use? The purpose of the analysis was to establish the gendered messages that students receive from reading the book and how these can be understood and deconstructed
Two questions have been asked: In what ways are gender and power presented in relation to women and men? What language is used to describe women, men and the power relationships between them? There is no definitive answer; the results support a need for careful critical analysis and discussion, by teachers and students, of youth novels regarding gendered power dynamics
Summary
In this article we focus on the gender constructions of girls and boys in contemporary youth literature from a South African context. Novels that youths read in schools are often read without any discussion In such cases, students’ knowledge of the relationship between gender and language can be limited or even absent; in addition, their awareness of how the connection between the social and linguistic construction of gender is implicated in daily life, where it is negotiated and visible through beliefs, speech and actions, can be poorly developed. This paper draws from a study about teachers’ development of their literacy practice over a twoyear period in two secondary schools in the Eastern Cape. The teachers found it frustrating when students in Grade 8 could not read at a satisfactory level. The teachers started reading projects in their classrooms through the assistance of the researchers (Lundgren, Scheckle & Zinn 2015)
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