Pumping iron at Frankie’s
| dc.contributor.advisor | Du Plessis, Jacob | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Pattman, Robert | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Punt, Jacques | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-03-07T14:04:58Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-04-21T14:37:28Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-03-07T14:04:58Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-04-21T14:37:28Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021-03 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2021. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The events and analysis prompting this study play out in a weight training gym in the Rusthof neighbourhood in Strand, Western Cape. Itis called Frankie’s Gym and originated to help deal with social issues in the neighbourhood, especially because of gangs and gang-related activities that are high in this neighbourhood. Frankie’s Gym (FG) focuses on influencing young men so that they do not get involved with gangs. The main research questions that drove this study were how FG can deal with the challenges that face the Rusthof community; what community means in the social environment of FG; and, how people at FG identify and perform gender. This study looked specifically at theoretical concepts like the gym as a sports-based intervention, community building, and masculinity(-ies). At FG there is a complex interplay of construction of community and masculinity(-ies). These two concepts seem to work in tandem in order to construct a social network and community, based around helping and caring for one another. In this way, FG and the people involved in it can influence their clientele to live a life away from the “bad stuff” in the neighbourhood –like gangs. Critically however, there are limitations to this. For one, people drop out of the gym and may start engaging with drugs and gangs, possibly finding it difficult to maintain a commitment to FG. Additionally, the focus on weight lifting can contribute to a version of being male which idealises toughness over sensitivity, although many of the young men with whom I engaged seemed to be committed to an ethic of care which they learnt and was exemplified in the gym. Lastly, the effectiveness of the intervention seems to depend to some extent on the role Frankie plays as a model of a caring, sensitive, compassionate, sociable and creative man, and this raises the question of who can replace Frankie when he retires (he is currently in his 70s) and continue the work with FG in the community. This is an ethnographic study and participant observation was the main research method. This provided rich data that was supplemented by a semi-structured interview with the owner Frank Hendricks. Applied thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die geografiese plasing van die gebeure en analise wat hierdie studie loods, is 'n gimnasium vir gewigoptel in die Rusthof-woonbuurt in Strand, Wes-Kaap. Die gimnasium heet Frankie's Gym en het oorspronklik ontstaan om sosiale kwessies in die omgewing aan te spreek, veral as gevolg van bendes en hoë frekwensie van bende-verwante aktiwiteite in hierdie buurt. Frankie's Gym (FG) fokus veral daarop om jong mans te beïnvloed om nie by bendes betrokke raak nie. Die belangrikste navorsingsvrae wat aanleiding tot hierdie studie gegee het, was hoe FG die uitdagings waarmee die Rusthof-gemeenskap te kampe het, kan hanteer; wat gemeenskap beteken in die sosiale omgewing van FG; en hoe mense by FG geslag identifiseer en uitvoer. Hierdie studie het spesifiek gekyk na teoretiese konsepte soos die gimnasium as 'n sportgebaseerde intervensie, gemeenskapsbou en manlikheid(-hede). In FG is daar 'n ingewikkelde samespel van konstruksie van gemeenskap en manlikheid(-hede). Dit kom voor asof hierdie twee konsepte in tandem werk om 'n sosiale netwerk en gemeenskap daar te stel wat gebaseer is daarop mekaar by te staan en te help. Op hierdie manier kan FG en die mense daarin ander beïnvloed om hul lewens weg van die bendes en van die “slegte dinge” in die buurt te leef. Daar is egter kritiese beperkings in hierdie verband. Mense verlaat eerstens die gimnasium en begin met dwelms en bendes betrokke raak. Dit is dan moontlik moeilik om 'n verbintenis tot FG te handhaaf. Daarbenewens kan die fokus op gewigoptel bydra tot 'n manlikheid-beeld wat taaiheid bo sensitiwiteit idealiseer, hoewel baie van die jong mans met wie ek in kontak was, toegewyd was aan 'n etiese versorgingsetiek wat hulle in die gimnasium geleer en uitgebeeld het. Laastens blyk die doeltreffendheid van die intervensie tot 'n sekere mate afhanklik te wees van die rol wat Frankie speel as 'n model van 'n sorgsame, sensitiewe, deernisvolle, gesellige en kreatiewe man, en dit laat die vraag ontstaan wie vir Frankie kan vervang wanneer hy aftree (hy is tans in sy 70's) en voortgaan met die werk met FG in die gemeenskap. Hierdie is 'n etnografiese studie en deelnemende waarneming was die belangrikste navorsingsmetode. Dit verskaf ryk data wat aangevul is deur 'n semi-gestruktureerde onderhoud met die eienaar Frank Hendricks. Toegepaste tematiese analise is gebruik om die data te ontleed. | af_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Masters | |
| dc.format.extent | 98 pages | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/110038 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Frankies Gym Rusthof Strand Western Cape | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Gymnasiums -- South Africa -Strand | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Gyms -- South Africa -- Strand -- Social aspects | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Youth -- Social conditions | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Adolescence -- Life skills guide | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Masculinity in sports | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Community centers -- South Africa -- Strand | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Weight lifting | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Physical fitness | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Youth -- Physical training | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.title | Pumping iron at Frankie’s | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |