GROUP DISCOURSES AND IDENTITIES
5.3 BEHAVIOUR ADAPTATION AND IDENTITY RECONSTRUCTION The environment of the University of Natal is new to all categories of students
5.3.2 Dilute Males (DLM)
Members of this group of respondents included Xhosa, Sotho and Tswana first language speakers. The group was constituted to give voice to other South African ethnic groups, at a university within a Zulu-dominant province, since the Zulu bradas focused mainly on themselves as the Zulus of South Africa. The dilute males, like the Zulus, share a similar background in terms of education,
since they also attended township racially-segregated schools. The dilute males first discussed definitions of impoliteness/rudeness (which I will present in chapter six), and then moved on to discuss identity, clearly basing their perceptions on their situation as minorities in a context where most black students are of Zulu ethnicity. The identity concerns of this group are somewhat different from those of their Zulu counterparts.
This group of South African students focussed more on the identity of others.
DLMl: I think we find ourselves in an awkward situation, as Luyanda was saying, because we know our culture. Now we realise where we are, what kind of
people we're with, we don't know which way to pursue and you find that in most cases. But what I want to say is that females are the ones that are quick in capturing new cultural values from other cultures.
DLM2: Ja, but here in the Varsity, I don't consider much of the things as impolite, because I know that, most of us are partly diluted here, so when I see, for example Dumisani (a Zulu friend of the group) sometimes speaks English to me even though I like speaking in Zulu; when I am with him I don't regard such behaviour as impolite in this environment
DLM3: Ja, it's partly because our upbringings are different. Some went to Model C-schools, some went to rural areas schools, township schools, all this kind of stuff, so if I greet you and you respond in those Model C tones, I mean I won't be surprised, because I know that, eh.., we have like different backgrounds first of all, all these kinds of stuff.
DLM4: Ja, I think here on campus, we are different. We group ourselves differently, like you will find white guys alone, you find Indians alone, you find black people alone. In those groups there are ways of respect, there is a way in which we respect each other in those groups like in blacks, for example, because I have not hanged out with Indians and Whites. In Blacks, you know, most of the time people are judgemental you know, they look at you, at the way you dress up, they look at your clothes, they look at the course that you 're doing, then they tend to give you more respect, because of what you know.
DLM2: Everybody, you see, if they (other black South African students) look at you as 'the guy' or as this kind of person then I mean, okay, we live in the world of probabilities, but I would say, it's more probably that, if you greet them, they would say, they would greet back with no hassles, but if they look down on you, they will just say, yes, and then pass, you see, I think, you see, but I wouldn 't want to comment on why. Is it the case, because they do not associate with us; in as much you would love to associate, you'll just feel you're not part of them, they wouldn't say it, but, I mean, it would, it's there, the gap, even you can, can, I think, a lot still has to be done to bridge the gap between these groups.
DLM3:1 think we are in a state of bit confusion. Being part of this campus, there are so many cultures coming together, and it becomes a bit difficult to stick to your culture. For instance, you might want to continue with greetings as you
always do in the community, greeting everyone that you meet. But some people do not respond to it so you slowly lose touch with it.
The dilute males begin their discussion on identity with an acknowledgment of the fact that they have all changed over their years as students of the university.
Although they accuse their female counterparts of being more open than the males in terms of assimilation of western culture, they admit that in a sense they all have changed and none is exempt. As one of them points out, / know that most of us are partly diluted here. The dilute males perceive themselves as been 'diluted' in terms of adherence to their cultural beliefs and practices. These men in a regretful tone suggest that they have adapted to some extent to the university culture. Their somewhat hybrid identity has caused them to recognise that students from the same cultural background have different experiences which define them both as individuals and as members of a group.
The dilute males focus on 'difference', but this difference appears through racial groups which they say are very obvious from the way students cluster themselves in and outside lecture rooms. Dilute males identify with black South Africans and South Africa as a nation, but point out that within each group individual differences exist. The group describes its own group dynamics in relation to class segregation: in those groups there are ways of respect, there is a way in which we respect each other in those groups like in blacks, for example, (because I have not hanged out with Indians and Whites); in Blacks, you know, most of the time people are judgemental you know, they look at you, at the way you dress up, they look at your clothes. This statement implies that racial segregation is very strong at the university; at the same time it states that there are individual group dynamics in the different groups (white, black and Indians). For these men, status, which depends on family position and degree of affluence, is a major issue within their group, and it can determine the extent to which one is accepted as a member of a particular black group. Discrimination is not limited to the relationship between in-group and out-group, but also happens within individual groups. The group behaviour here seems to point to the fact that some black students have multiple identities by referring to them as 'confused', in that their
relative importance and compatibility differs depending on circumstance. They are 'confused' in terms of how to position themselves within the black group.
For these men, identity is not limited to ethnicity, but extends to shared values, beliefs and concerns. The dilute males, however, feel 'confused' in that it becomes rather difficult to practice their cultural beliefs, hence their need to adapt their behaviours (eg. greeting practices): we are in a state of confusion.
The dilute males also reflect on behaviours of other racial/cultural groups.
DLMl: Indians are the ones who are highly or very highly impolite. If you're doing similar courses with Indians, you'll find that during group discussion, tutorial group discussions, you're brainstorming, and the only thing they're doing is to laugh, and they will not contribute even when you ask for it. But the day before presentation they would say no, you should have done this, and done that, so that they keep on changing.
DLM2: They are always moving back and forth, they don't have any backbone, they don't have a position, and that is selfish, Indians are the most
The group consider the Indian students as the most impolite not simply because of cultural differences or beliefs, but because of their attitude to group work in tutorials. The claim that they don't have backbones suggests that Indians are perceived as weak and unable to declare their own identity, especially where racial identity is at stake. In the dilute males' view, they are defined by whom they associate with and how reliable they are in the way they position themselves towards other individuals or groups.
The discussion then focuses on the 'Model C students.
DLM2: I agree, but there is also that group of Blacks, they are called 'Model C's', they are the. . . they're the ones who betray us. These ones, because you see, they're the victims of identity crises, they are the ones who follow whites, they follow whites and when they're with Whites, I don't know if they think they are Whites. They've got pride, pride out of nothing, with them as non-South Africans, meanwhile, they're Blacks, I think, and that's one thing that cause me pain and it's another form of impoliteness. They are different from us.
DLM3: I address them as Africans, but from the response I can see that... they position themselves as non-South Africans. They are very weak like women.
DLM4: What you actually see is that they're White souls trapped in Black skins.
DLMl: You also find Zulu girls or ladies who come from rural areas, but when they come on campus, they start speaking to you in English and if you continue speaking Zulu...
There are some similarities in opinion between dilute males and Zulu bradas.
The dilute males also perceive the 'Model C students as traitors of their black South African identity. The group describe 'Model C students as a confused group of people who are giving up their black identity for a non-black identity by association; they're the ones who betray us. These ones, because you see, they're the victims of identity crises. The 'Model C's' are seen by the group as disengaging from the black South African group identity: / can see that - they position themselves as non-South Africans. The dilute males find it hard to
perceive the 'Model C students as similar to themselves: They are different from us. These men, on mainly linguistic grounds, would exclude 'Model Cs' from the South African population. They speak of a 'Model C identity crisis and describe them as white souls trapped in Black skins. The reference to the Zulu girls or ladies confirms that the use of English (as opposed to ethnic languages) is a core marker of 'Model C students. Perhaps these shared perceptions of 'Model C students (and Zulu women) reduce friction between the Zulu bradas and dilute males.
However, on other matters their opinions differ sharply.
DLMl: With me, I mean with other international African students, here at UND, with especially males, I have not experienced any problems, we're communicating, very well, we're friends, but women they're concerned with security, they're shy, self-centred, they're, they become afraid of South African young men.
DLMl: I think non-South African Africans are so far, they're the most polite, 1 have ever seen.
DLM3: In my experience, so far I have never encountered any major problems with non-Africans, but, however, there are some, maybe some few groups, well, I am staying in Tower, I do not know about other places, ja, there are few groups of Zimbabweans, ja, those guys, I think they're Zimbabwean, those one who are like American style, I think those guys, think that we as South Africans, actually they have a problem with us, they think we're trying to be ahead of them, all those kinds of stuff and well, for example, during the Cricket World Cup, I think, when our boys, South Africa, was eliminated, you know, I was so shocked, they were so happy, they even sent us condolences, they said Oahl Oah Gosh!, ja, I just couldn't well understand their behaviour at that moment, you know, but that's how, they were very like, very rude because our team represented the whole of Africa.
The foreign African students are perceived as friendly and polite. The dilute males seem less territorial than the Zulu bradas, perhaps because they are in a Zulu dominant province; possibly if it were their home territory, their attitude might be different. Group bonding between vulnerable men and foreign students is extended here to accommodate the foreign students. At the same time, hostility can arise - here on the basis of sport. The only reason for hostility to the Zimbabweans (and to the men, not the women) is in relation to sport. During the Cricket World Cup, I think, when 'our boys', South Africans, was eliminated, you know, I was so shocked, they were so happy, even send us condolences. Studies on sport and national identity have shown that nationalism and sport are often intertwined. Sport in most cases symbolise competition between nations, which often reflects national conflicts (MaClany 1996; Silk et al 2005). On the other hand, I feel the dilute males perhaps see themselves as international allies in recreational entertainment.
The dilute males are conscious of the changes around them in terms of the university culture and practices which are different to their home culture.
Although the dilute males claim awareness of university culture and practices, and sensitivity to the university's diversity, they are confused about how best to position themselves in terms of their own cultural beliefs and how much of the university culture they should absorb. They demonstrate this through active and
passive resistance to the customary language choice and behaviours, particularly the gender relations between the groups, in the university. They speak of themselves as confused (a bit) and dilute, but they have clear views about 'Model C students and female students: You also find Zulu girls or ladies who come from rural areas, but when they come on campus, they start speaking to you in English. The dilute males refer to women as weak, and feel alienated from the 'Model Cs' who have adopted the 'western culture'. At the same time the dilute males are beginning to move away from rigid traditional stances and towards a more flexible university culture, which is the result of what they perceive as clashes between the university 'western culture' and their ethnic identities. It is likely that some of the confusion of attitudes which they show comes from their sense of English as the language (and culture) of the coloniser, and some from their understanding that English is nowadays the language of education and advancement: We find ourselves in a awkward situation, because we know our culture, and now we realise where we are, what kind of people we are with and we do not know which way to pursue. This confusion is expressed by the hybrid men through their interpretation of the situation as a chaos of identities: / think we're in a state of bit confusion. They also speak of their vulnerability as a group of people who have found themselves in a context where the norms of behaviour and communication are largely different from the norms they have lived by until now: most of us are partly diluted here. The dilute males are beginning to come to terms with the change; this is exhibited by signs of fear and vulnerability as to their group identity, which may be subsumed by the university culture.