This article proposes a new framework for conceiving literary and ethical responses to the Anthropocene extinction. Moving beyond the prevailing anthropocentric rhetorics of capitalist instrumentalization and national patrimony, it develops a theoretical lens of "hauntological ecology" rooted in Derridean hauntology, through which the absent presence of the dead, the extinct, and the endangered nonhuman lives is revealed as the specter. This framework reinterprets the ostensibly abstract and invisible extinction event whose demand for ontological reorientation and ethical response-ability has been systematically downplayed in the oblivious tempo of the Anthropocene. Lydia Millet's novel How the Dead Dream () materialises this hauntological paradigm into literary narrative through the protagonist T.'s mourning for the ungrievable and his intersubjective encounters with the endangered beings. This article examines how the ecological and cultural aftermath of mass species loss reshapes human identity, and explores what it means to interweave multispecies relationality when an increasing number of species are retreating from the scene. Hauntological ecology demands that humans cultivate cross-species spectral relations with extinction ghosts from the past (the extinct), the present (the endangered), and the future (the potentially extinct and the lost futures). This constitutes a genuine practice of staying with the trouble [Haraway, Donna J. 2016. Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene. Durham, NC: Duke University Press], one that asserts ethical and ontological precedence over romanticised visions of human-nature harmony.
This study addresses the pressing challenge of digital inequality in rural Limpopo, South Africa, focusing on how language and identity influence the negotiation of digital information spaces. The research aims to deepen understanding of how rural communities interact with digital platforms to access and share information, highlighting barriers linked to linguistic diversity and cultural identities. Grounded in the Diffusion of Innovations and Political Economy of Communication theories, the study employs qualitative case study methods, including semi-structured interviews and document analysis with community members, local leaders, and digital facilitators. The study shows that digital literacy initiatives must be culturally and linguistically responsive to foster equitable participation. The findings indicate three interlinked themes: first, that linguistic dominance of English on digital platforms reinforces exclusion and shapes how rural users negotiate identity online; second, that social interaction and knowledge sharing are channelled through trusted, locally anchored digital networks such as WhatsApp groups and community pages; and third, that infrastructural constraints and policy gaps continue to limit meaningful participation despite growing connectivity. These dynamics show that digital inclusion initiatives in rural Limpopo must be culturally and linguistically responsive, foregrounding indigenous languages, situated digital literacies, and community-led design. The study therefore recommends that policymakers and practitioners co-develop interventions with rural users, embed indigenous languages in digital interfaces and content, and align national digital policies with the lived realities of rural communities.
This study analyses desexualisation and reframing of female bodies in selected newspaper articles that discoursed on female naked hiking in the Drakensberg Mountains. It employs purposive sampling and textual analysis to collect and analyse data. The study utilises Butler's theory of performativity, as outlined in Bodies that Matter, which posits that bodies are constructed through the persistent repetition of acts rather than being pre-determined by prior discourse. In essence, bodies are continuously evolving entities that are shaped and reshaped through social practices, with attributes attributed to them. Data was collected from South Africa's Daily Sun and TimesLive online newspapers in the form of articles with inserted images. Two newspaper articles, titled "Imbokodo's MAPONA Hike" and "Behind the Scenes as 21 Naked Women Hike in the Drakensberg", with three inserted images, were sampled and selected. Notwithstanding the time lapse separating the publication of selected articles and their accompanying images, they allowed robust engagement with desexualisation and the reframing of naked female bodies on hiking trails. The findings of the study showed that the selected articles depict naked female bodies contesting and challenging their sexualisation and reframing them as agents that demasculinise and claim their place in and through hiking spaces.
This article examines the Gallavich fandom which is centred on the relationship between Ian Gallagher and Mickey Milkovich in the American television series Shameless (2011-2016). The couple and their fandom is examined through the intersecting lenses of uses and gratifications theory, fandom studies, and queer scholarship. Drawing on a mixed-methods study originally conducted in 2017, comprising textual analysis of six key scenes from seasons one to four, an online survey of 217 fans, and content analysis of fan-generated material across YouTube, Instagram and Tumblr, the article interrogates why a predominantly young, heterosexual female fandom is so intensely drawn to a relationship defined by physical and emotional abuse rooted in deep internalised homophobia. Returning to this material as an out lesbian scholar, the author offers a reflexively enriched re-analysis that situates the original findings within a more rigorous theoretical framework. The textual analysis reveals that violence functions as both foreplay and denial in the Gallavich dynamic, with aggression consistently romanticised as passion and Mickey's internalised homophobia framed as depth of feeling rather than harm. Fan data confirm that engagement is highest during the turbulent early seasons, with audiences interpreting abuse through a romantic lens and projecting heterosexual gender roles onto the couple. The gratifications fans derive; affective, cognitive, social integrative and personal integrative; are real and meaningful, particularly for those exploring their own sexual identities. Yet these gratifications are obtained through a narrative that normalises intimate partner violence and reproduces heteronormative power dynamics within a same-sex relationship. The article concludes that Gallavich represents a form of incomplete queer progress: it expands the visible range of gay masculinity on screen while foreclosing the imaginative possibility of genuinely healthy queer relationships.
This paper examines the use of multilingualism and code-switching in ethnic media as methods of resisting linguicide, with a focus on Ndau speakers using TikTok. In an environment where marginalised languages are continuously threatened with erasure, ethnic media emerge as essential platforms for cultural expression and advocacy, enabling the sharing of stories, traditions, and languages. Based on the Cultural Resistance Theory, the study uses qualitative methods to collect and analyse data from the Ndau community's ethnic media, suggesting that linguistic flexibility enhances cultural narratives and encourages inclusivity. It highlights that multilingualism and code-switching allow Ndau speakers to express and affirm their identities. TikTok's lively, trend-driven content offers new opportunities for revitalising the endangered Ndau language through engaging formats, fostering pride and resilience within the community. The study demonstrates how multilingualism in ethnic media is a powerful counter-narrative to linguicide, supporting the preservation of diverse languages and cultures in an increasingly globalising world.
