Nasima Mohamed Hoosen Carrim

‘Shh … quiet! Here they come.’ Black employees as targets of office gossip

This study explored black employees’ experiences of racial profiling by their white peers through the medium of gossip at a historically white, South African university. Participants consisted of 24 black employees (males = 50%, females = 50%; support staff = 50%, academic staff = 50%). The employees completed a semi-structured interview that elicited their perceptions of the settings in which gossip about black employees occurred, the perceived intentions of such gossip, and their responses to it. The data obtained was thematically analysed. Findings suggested that the gossip targeted black employees who were absent from meetings, and that such gossip undermined the work performance and morale of these employees.

Stepping Out of the Fish Tank Ethnic Identity Work of Indian Parents

This article explores the ethnic identity work in which Indian parents engage with regard to allowing their daughters to pursue a tertiary education and a career. Life story interviews were conducted on a purposive sample of 12 sets of South African Indian parents. The results indicate that these parents, especially mothers experience tremendous inner identity conflict, as they are torn between ensuring that daughters maintain their honor and dignity as respectable Indian women, and allowing daughters the freedom to venture away from the protective space of the home and family. The study highlighted that although parents were living in the postapartheid era ethnic identity work was still influenced by the lingering impact of apartheid regarding the status of women. Daughters were still not accorded the same status as sons although they were perceived as future breadwinners in their natal families.

The Gender, Racio-Ethnic and Professional Identity Work of an Indian Woman Entrepreneur in South Africa

This chapter highlights the hurdles faced by an Indian woman entrepreneur in a male-dominated environment in South Africa, where she cannot take as active a role in her own enterprise due to the overbearing pressure of societal norms. The case study discusses in detail the difficulty the participant experiences in working and reworking her gendered in a socio-historical-political context that is patriarchal. The roles of the spouse and community are taken into consideration.

The In-Betweeners: Racio-ethnic and Masculine Identity Work of Indian Male Managers in the South African Private Sector

This article examines the extent to which minority Indian male managers engage in identity work in their efforts to gain career ascendancy in the private sector in South Africa. Indian male managers occupying diverse management posts at middle management and senior management levels in various sectors were interviewed. Results indicate that Indian men worked and reworked their managerial and cultural identities to form coherent identities which they were comfortable enacting in corporate South Africa. Race hierarchy in some workplaces placed Indian males at a disadvantage related to promotional opportunities. There is no simple solution to the problem as race hierarchy still dominates corporate South Africa, and Western norms still prevail.