Discourse Analysis of the Perceptions of Bereavement and Bereavement rituals of Tshivenda Speaking Women

Abstract

This article examined the discourses of bereavement and bereavement rituals that inform Tshivenda speaking women's positions within their social structure. The Tshivenda speaking community that participated in this study is located in the Vhembe District of the Limpopo province in South Africa. The study specifically explored the social constructions of bereavement and bereavement rituals with the focus on how discourses shape bereaved women's perceptions, actions and interactions when they are subject to particular positions within the social structure of Tshivenda speaking communities. Six focus groups were conducted with widows to gain their constructions of bereavement rituals in relation to their positions. Participants used language that implicated them as not “normal” and in need of healing, as subordinate and powerless in relationships, as women, wives and mothers. They also spoke in a way that justified their positions as subjected by others and themselves as they belong to a collectivist culture.