https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/2979 2026-08-03T16:01:15Z 2026-08-03T16:01:15Z Kappel, Christiane https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32775 2026-07-26T05:30:39Z 2025-11-01T00:00:00Z

Erwartungen von Eltern an die evangelische Kirche als Anchor Institution: eine empirische Untersuchung im ländlichen Raum des nördlichen Schwarzwalds Kappel, Christiane Die Gemeindeentwicklung im ländlichen Raum steht angesichts des demografischen Wandels und sinkender Mitgliederzahlen vor großen Herausforderungen, bleibt aber durch Einrichtun-gen wie Kindergärten, Diakonie und Jugendarbeit als Anchor Institution präsent und muss die veränderten Lebensumstände und Bedürfnisse von Familien verstehen, um ihre Angebote ent-sprechend weiterzuentwickeln zu können. Das Ziel der empirischen Forschung in der Prakti-schen Theologie ist es, zu einer reflektierten Praxis beizutragen. Vor diesem Hintergrund un-tersucht die vorliegende Arbeit die Erwartungen von Eltern, deren Kinder Angebote der Lan-deskirchen nutzen, die aber selbst nicht aktiv am Gemeindeleben teilnehmen, an die evange-lische Landeskirche als „Anchor Institution“ im Kontext der kirchlichen Jugendarbeit. Aus-gangspunkt ist die Bedeutung der Kirche im Familienleben der Eltern sowie deren persönliche Erfahrungen mit kirchlichen Angeboten. Als Methode wurde hierfür die der teilstandardisierten Leitfadeninterviews aus der qualitativen Sozialforschung gewählt. Diese wurden mithilfe der qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse nach Kuckartz und Rädiker ausgewertet. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Eltern die Kirche vor allem als Vermittlerin von christlichen Werten und als Anbieterin von Lebenshilfe für ihre Kinder wahrnehmen. Trotz einer grundsätzlichen Wertschätzung der kirch-lichen Traditionen und Rituale wird die Kirche von vielen Eltern als wenig zeitgemäß und fami-lienfreundlich empfunden. Die Analyse macht deutlich, dass ein Bruch zwischen den vorhan-denen kirchlichen Angeboten und den tatsächlichen Bedürfnissen vieler Familien besteht. Zu-gleich erkennen die Eltern die Rolle der Kirche als kulturellen und sozialen Anker im Dorf an. Die Arbeit verweist auf Impulse für eine familienorientierte Gemeindeentwicklung, die Lebens-welt und Herausforderungen der Familien stärker berücksichtigt und kirchliche Angebote enger an deren Alltag ausrichtet.; Despite demographic change and declining membership, the Church remains an anchor insti-tution in rural areas through services such as “kindergartens”, social welfare work and youth programmes. However, it must understand the changing living conditions and needs of families in order to find new ways to appeal to adults and demonstrate its relevance to them. Empirical research in practical theology aims to contribute to reflective practice. With this in mind, this paper examines parents' expectations of the Protestant regional church as an ‘anchor institu-tion’ in the context of church youth work. The starting point is the church's significance in par-ents' family life and their personal experiences with church services. For this purpose, semi-stuctured interviews from the field of qualitative social research were used. The interviews were evaluated using a qualitative content analysis according to Kuckartz and Rädiker. The results show that parents perceive the church primarily as a mediator of Christian values and a provider of life guidance for their children. Despite a fundamental ap-preciation of church traditions and rituals, many parents perceive the church as outdated and not family-friendly. The analysis makes it clear that there is a disconnect between the existing church offerings and the actual needs of many families. At the same time, parents recognise the role of the church as a cultural and social anchor in the village. The work points to ideas for family-oriented community development that take greater account of the living environment and challenges of families and aligns church offerings more closely with their everyday lives. Text in German with abstract in English and German

2025-11-01T00:00:00Z Dladla, Thabang Shaun https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32673 2026-06-25T10:57:06Z 2025-10-01T00:00:00Z

Archie Mafeje and the liberation of philosophy and Social Sciences in Africa Dladla, Thabang Shaun This thesis articulates a conception of philosophy and the social sciences which understands reality on its own terms. It is an intervention in the practice of philosophy and the social sciences in South Africa, which owe their existence to the colonial heritage and continue to neglect the unjust and divisive social reality that defines South Africa. The argument defended by this thesis is that such continuity is indicative of outstanding liberation on the part of the indigenous people conquered in the unjust wars of colonisation. This thesis draws on the work of Archie Mafeje to elaborate and defend his account of African Philosophy and liberatory social science practice, as a historically specific expression of the liberatory struggle of Africans against unjust Euro-centric colonial domination. Basically, this research focuses on Archie Mafeje’s thought and practice on the issues concerning epistemic decolonisation and authentic liberation of the social sciences and philosophy in the continent, a discourse that engulfed the African academy since post-independence circa 1960. Mafeje was a constitutive part of that particular historical unfolding and participated in the debates that shaped the practice of the social sciences and philosophical discourses in varying intellectual circles in the post-independence era. That he was exiled from South Africa speaks of the outstanding liberation on that part of the African continent which he also laboured to achieve. Mafeje’s work represents an instantiation of a liberatory practice of philosophy and the social science in Africa generally, and with particular reference to South Africa.

2025-10-01T00:00:00Z D'Antuono, Matthew https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32557 2026-06-01T09:42:45Z 2026-02-05T00:00:00Z

A Thomistic critical realist reading of beauty in physics as an argument for the existence of God D'Antuono, Matthew In Thomist metaphysics, beauty is defined as unity, harmony and clarity. In a word, beauty is order. Philosophers have attempted to arrive at a definition of beauty on the basis of physicists’ descriptions of physics; however, physicists’ accounts are not always consistent. Thomist aesthetics, however, adequately accounts for the various understandings of beauty on which physicists insist. Such attributions of beauty to physics as well as the entire practice of physics find themselves in danger if physics is viewed through an instrumentalist lens. Critical realism is necessary in order for such statements about beauty in physics to mean what physicists intend them to mean. Also, if beauty is real and critical realism accounts correctly for beauty and physics, then it can be argued that God exists via the Fourth Way of Thomas Aquinas, which finds evidence for the existence of God in gradations in things. The gradation of perfections such as nobility, goodness and truth implies the existence of some maximum perfection, which is God. It is argued in this thesis that although not mentioned by Aquinas in his corpus, beauty is one of those perfections. This constitutes a new argument for the existence of God on the basis of beauty.; In Thomistese metafisika word skoonheid omskryf as eenheid, harmonie en duidelikheid. Met ander woorde, skoonheid is orde. Filosowe het probeer om skoonheid op grond van fisici se beskrywings van fisika te omskryf, maar fisici se weergawes is nie altyd konsekwent nie. Thomistiese estetika verduidelik die verskillende begrippe van skoonheid waarop fisici aandring egter voldoende. Sulke toeskrywings van skoonheid aan fisika en die praktyk van fisika as geheel verkeer in gevaar as fisika deur 'n instrumentalistiese lens beskou word. Kritiese realisme is nodig om seker te maak dat sulke verklarings oor skoonheid in fisika beteken wat fisici bedoel het hulle moet beteken. Verder, as skoonheid werklik bestaan en kritiese realisme korrek rekening gee van skoonheid en fisika, kan daar aangevoer word dat God via die Vierde Weg van Thomas Aquinas bestaan, wat bewyse vir die bestaan van God in gradasies van dinge vind. Die gradering van volmaakthede soos adelikheid, goedheid en waarheid impliseer die bestaan van die een of ander maksimum volmaaktheid – wat God is. In hierdie proefskrif word daar aangevoer dat alhoewel Aquinas nie daarvan melding maak in sy korpus nie, is skoonheid een van hierdie volmaakthede. Dit is 'n nuwe argument vir die bestaan van God op grond van skoonheid.; Kwisifundo se-Thomist metaphysics, ubuhle buchazwa njengobumbano, ukuzwana nokucacisa. Ngamafuphi nje, ubuhle buwukuhleleka. Izazi zefilosofi zike zazama ukufika encazelweni yobuhle ngesisekelo sezincazelo zezazi ze-fiziksi; nokho-ke, ama-akhawunti ezazi zefiziksi awahlezi ehamba ngendlela eyodwa. I-Thomist aesthetics, nokho-ke, ilandisa ngokwanele ukuqonda okuhlukahlukene kobuhle lapho izazi ze-fiziksi zigcizelela khona. Ukuchazwa okunjalo kobuhle kwi-fiziksi kanye nawowonke umkhuba we-physics kuzithola kusengozini uma i-fiziksi ibhekwa ngelensi yezinsiza. Kudingeka iqiniso elibucayi ukuze lezo zitatimende mayelana nobuhle kuphysics zisho lokho izazi ze-fiziksi ezihlose ukuba zisho. Futhi, uma ubuhle bungokoqobo futhi buyiqiniso elibucayi bulandisa kahle ngobuhle kanye ne-fiziksi, khona-ke kungaphikiswana ngokuthi uNkulunkulu ukhona ngeNdlela yesine ka- Thomas Aquinas, ethola ubufakazi bobukhona bukaNkulunkulu ngokuhlukaniswa kwezinto. Ukwehlukaniswa kwezinga lokuphelela okufana nezikhulu, ubuhle kanye neqiniso kusho ukuba khona kokupheleliswa okukhulu, okunguNkulunkulu. Kuphikiswana ngayo kule thesis ukuthi nakuba kungashiwongo ngu-Aquinas kucorpus yakhe, ubuhle bungenye yalezo zimfanelo. Lokhu kwakha impikiswano entsha yobukhona bukaNkulunkulu ngesisekelo sobuhle. Abstract in English, Afrikaans and Zulu

2026-02-05T00:00:00Z Mpako, Dabula Anthony https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32154 2026-06-25T12:57:33Z 2008-12-01T00:00:00Z

Narrative decolonisation of the person in post-apartheid South Africa: reflections by pastoral a therapist Mpako, Dabula Anthony The historical systems of white supremacy, colonialism and apartheid (in South Africa) have had far-reaching effects on the person on both sides of the divide. All have, albeit in different ways and to varying degrees, been shaped in fundamental ways by these closely related discourses. The thesis addresses this reality. Firstly, it exposes these effects, identifying and naming them on the basis of the stories of six real people on the one hand, and critical social analysis by a selected group of prominent social analysts, in the past and in the present – from Franz Fanon in the 1950s to Critical Whiteness scholars in the contemporary world – on the other. The exposition extends to the pastoral context of Christianity and the Church, focusing mainly on the effects of Christianity’s historical collusion with white supremacy, colonialism and apartheid (in South Africa). Secondly, the thesis engages with social constructionist discourse as appropriated by narrative therapy to interpret the identified effects and to elucidate the deeper dynamics involved. Thirdly, using a narrative way of working, the thesis proposes a map of decolonisation practices for use in group or community work, in the pastoral context of the Church and beyond, with the purpose of facilitating the construction of an alternative discourse, characterised by more ethical and more lifegiving ways of being and relating.

2008-12-01T00:00:00Z