| dc.description.abstract | This article examines how Zanzibari women in KwaZulu-Natal are
negotiating their identities within the context of local and global realities.
In South Africa, while the post-apartheid period gave birth to non-racial
democracy, South Africa is haunted by high unemployment, widespread
poverty and poor service delivery. Globally, this period has witnessed
increased conflict since the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York
and the subsequent War on Terror which has led some to suggest that the
irreconcilable fault lines of religion and culture have ushered in a clash of
civilisations. This article examines the identities of Zanzibari women in the
context of these rapidly changing local, national and international conditions.
It also speaks to the local context of apartheid race engineering as the Zanzibari
experience underscores the contingent nature of race as a category of identity.
The article argues that while religion is important in the lives of the women,
their identities are shaped by the complex interplay between religion, politics,
class, race, language, community, and geography. An analysis based solely on
religious laws and “race” deflects from a nuanced one that takes into account
social and economic conditions when it comes to historicising identity | en_US |
