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Considering YouTube's value as a historical source, with reference to the 2015-2017 drought in the Vaal Triangle

May 2019
Historia 64(1)

DOI:10.17159/2309-8392/2019/v64n1a7

License
CC BY 4.0

Authors:

North-West University

The 20th to 21st century has seen dramatic changes in the amount of available information from which researchers can obtain insights into people's past experiences. Traditionally, historical insights were derived mainly from archival and physical sources. Oral interviews also offered new perspectives as well as challenges for the interpretation of histories. Increasingly, social media provide researchers not only audio and/or visual material, but also unique combinations of these two mediums. The wave of technological innovation affords the ordinary person the opportunity to record, store and share his or her life experiences. The extent to which this is occurring is also testimony of the information age. For historians this not only provides a rich array of sources, but also requires them to take new responsibility regarding internal and external source criticism, along with a keen sense of knowledge of the available technologies. As one such platform YouTube is being used increasingly to capture and share life experiences. One such example the 2015-2017 drought in the Vaal Triangle. For contemporary historians, social media provides unique opportunities to investigate, with the appropriate analytical mind-set, such 21st century historical phenomena.

Available via license: CC BY 4.0

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140

Historia,

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Howtocitethisarticle

Historia



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ConsideringYouTube’svalueasahistoricalsource,withreferenceto

the20152017droughtintheVaalTriangle



Annadine�Smit

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Abstract

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             

         

    

    

  

           

          



  

            

           



   

          

         





Key words:        





Opsomming



          

        

    

         



             

          

           





    



  

¡¢£¤¥

 

¦

141



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     

            



         

       



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Sleutelwoorde:      

�

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 

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

  

     



    

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             

   



 

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 

 



       



           

          

    

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     



            

             

              

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        

The�Nature�of�History

           

   The�New�Nature�of�

History:�Knowledge,�Evidence,�Language�

  

     

           

 

    



  

            Scottish�

Historical�Review,

      

        



142

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142�

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      





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        

        







   

         

         

           

       

            



            







Social�media�in�South�Africa�and�historical�research�



              

           

 



          

               





           

            

           



  





       

   



           

     



      

      

   

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           

Great�Plains�Research

   The� Pursuit� of� History:� Aims,� Methods,� and� New� Directions� in� the� Study� of�

Modern�History

143



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143�

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            





       

           

     

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  

             

         



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media”,�“YouTube”,�“Facebook”�and/or�“Twitter”

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sosiale�media

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    International�Journal�of�

Climatology          

         Communications� on� Applied�

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         

    ¡     

      ¢   ¢   

£Historia

 

 

      ¤   sosiale� media

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        

      

      

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      



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

  

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        



               

         

      

   

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     

            



             

            

    



       

                



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

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        

Natural�Hazards,

              

         

 Journal� of�the�Association�for�Information�Science�and� Technology 

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           

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   ¢£     ¤  

           

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       

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  

             

            

 



        

            

           

         



 



          





            







            

         













  

          



            

 

    

         

       



    

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        

             

             

New�New�Media,

      

 Television�&�New�Media 



 ¡

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    



            

        

     

         

  

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    

     

      

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    

   

         

             

        

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

         





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             

          

 



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          

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           

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        

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¡¢£

   ¤       

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  Climate Change Adaptation Strategies: An Upstreamdownstream

Perspective

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 ¨           

©©   ¦   ª   

Townspeople of the Soutpansberg: A Centenary of Louis Trichardt (1899–1999)

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        ¦  «  



  « « ¦  

       NewContree

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

      

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     

             

          

     

   

       

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  

            



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          



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  Great�Plains�

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

Journal�of�Human�Ecology  

              

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  ¢  

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Études/Inuit�Studies

 ¥Understanding�Social�Media

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  ¦¢  

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            



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



             

    





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 

             

     

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      

     

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    

           

          

             

            

       

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             



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    

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 

     

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 ¤  ¥       

        Video�Analysis:�Methodology�and�

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 ¤  ¦     § 

        

           

149

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   



       

            



    

   

 





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







      



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            



             

           

 

 



         

           





Nature�of�History�

    



 

   

       



   

           

         

       







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  

             

          

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            

     



     

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     



      

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

           





     

            

          

             

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      

The�New�Nature�of�History

    

          

",�

 



        

             

            



 Oral�History

  Oral�History          

  

     





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    

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       

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

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     

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     

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



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The�New�Nature�of�History

",�



 Oral�History

151



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            

          



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             

           

             

         

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 

            



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    



            





    

        





  .     



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  

         

      

           

            







             

    

       

   

             

         

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          

          

        

    



       

           







          



            

   



   



            

     

           

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             

   



         

          



           



          

         ¡  



            

The�Pursuit�of�History

153



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           

          





        

    



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            

   



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

            





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YouTube�as�a�historical�source�on�the�drought�experienced�in�the�Vaal�Triangle�

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             

           

            

         

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    

             

              



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     

       

            

             

            

  

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            

    



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



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





 

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 Oral�History

               

The�Nature�of�History

          

          

Geographical� Review,          

GeoJournal

           

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                

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      

           

 

            

 



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The Vaal Triangle as a regional history case study and the drought of 2015

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       

            

  

          

            

             

             

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Figure1:GoogleEarthimageoftheVaalTrianglewiththeVaalDamtothesoutheast

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           

              

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

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     

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

            

        



        

             





    

             

         

      

             











   



 

              



    

       

             

     

             

  





          

          

          

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  Beeld  

Mail�&�Guardian

 The�Citizen

 Daily�Sun

    



                

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    In�the�Footsteps�of�Giants:�Exploring�the�History�of�South�Africa's�Large�

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      

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           

      

   

  

            



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     

            

     

      

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   



             

           



     

            



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

               

 

        



            

     

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     

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            



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  

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            

              

           





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           

  

             

 

    

 

          



    

             

  

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 

        

       

  



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          



      

            



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       

    

           Business�

Horizons

     

              

        Procedia:� Social� and� Behavioral�

Sciences

          

       



159



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159�

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  



 

 

        



  

          

    

   

   



    







              

   











            

         

       

            







           





    

  

              

          

             





 

               

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        

       

    

  

           

         



 

             

            





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              



             



       

   

          

           

        

            



            

      

    

             

           



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    



               



 

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161



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

      



           

         

          



             

          

            



       



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REFERENCES�

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              

      Procedia:�Social�and�Behavioral�Sciences



     From�Memory� to�History:�Using�Oral�Historical�Sources�in�

Local� Historical� Research       

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 §   ¡          

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 §«¨

¨Historical�Social�Research�/�

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 ¡ ¤        ¯   ,�

§ ¡ ¯¨  

¯¨The�

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162

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  South�African�Journal�of�Cultural�

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       

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  OralHistory:UnderstandingQualitativeResearch  

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HumanEcology

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Media

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  

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Adaptation Strategies, An Upstreamdownstream Perspective  ¡

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    Historical Social Research/ Historische

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ElectronicGreenJournal       

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,

    

CommunicationsonAppliedElectronics(CAE)

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  IntheFootstepsofGiants:ExploringtheHistoryofSouthAfrica'sLarge

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ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.

Regional, local, urban and rural history as nearby spaces and places: Historiographical and methodological reflections

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2012
Contree

Elize Van Eeden

The purpose of this article is to review the almost 50 years of formal regional and local history research practices in South Africa under the umbrella of a variety of rural and urban trends, themes and phenomena. This revisit of research practice is not approached from the traditional angle of critically debating the visibility of the research in historiography through publications (it is, after all, an extraordinarily broad field of study to cover, which may not correctly serve each author in the broader and/or local history). Rather the focus is on analysing where and when regional or local history in South Africa got its momentum and how historians have broadly assessed their progress and future in presenting and carrying out regional and local history research. International influences on historians and other academics in the humanities and social sciences which surface are also discussed. The reader is also exposed to a concise exposition of modern-day efforts in the field of integrative research that have been necessary in regional and/or local history research for decades. Local research methodologies used in the past have been combined with integrative methodology models to create an integrative multidisciplinary research methodology required for carrying out regional and local research in modern-day practice. Because no single definition of the concepts of local and regional history exists, its meaning in literature is first thrashed out to strengthen understanding of the term and the approach to it in this discussion. This debate, among others, was inspired by, and is part of, the commemoration of the journal New Contree’s 35 years of existence. The journal’s involvement in the dissemination of regional and urban history, especially during the early part of its existence, is discussed. It is hoped that this article’s review of the past will inspire South African historians to revisit regional, local, urban and/or rural spaces and places in South Africa. This could be done perhaps with the view to strengthening the methodologies used in regional history studies and to ambitiously embrace possibilities for engaging in a variety of integrative research from bottom-up and top-down perspectives. This may be the only way to progress towards inclusive regional histories as contributions to the understanding of regions.

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In the light of student protests in 2015 and 2016 relating to the #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall movements, the significance of the historical discourse has been side- lined. This concept paper discusses the role of digital technologies as platforms to capture and disseminate oral histories, audio-visual sources, historical writings and indigenous knowledge in order to tackle environmental concerns. In South Africa, there is a moral responsibility to encourage previously ignored communities and individuals to collect and share their experiences and knowledge, particularly where this knowledge may be valuable in tackling contemporary challenges. Through better utilisation of oral histories, oral traditions, audio-visual sources, historical writings and indigenous knowledge - as well as better access facilitated by means of digital technologies - the sustainability of historical discourse, the asset-worth of these sources and the viability of the archival institutions and the similar heritage entities housing these items, could be assured. Historians and archivists need to engage actively in highlighting collections, demonstrating their relevance to contemporary challenges and interacting with society at large to ensure that the histories recorded, captured and disseminated represent all communities. Better dissemination of these information sources could provide more effective solutions to deal with contemporary environmental concerns, such as climate change.

Farmer’s perception of climate change and responsive strategies in three selected provinces of South Africa

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Exploring the Use of Social Media During the 2014 Flood in Malaysia

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In December 2014, one of the most perilous floods in recent years occurred in Malaysia, and many lost their lives, material possessions, and even homes. This paper aimed to explore the use of social media for information sharing about the flood. Survey questionnaires were distributed among families in the East Coast of Malaysia that was directly affected by the flood (N = 507). In light of the recent popularity of social media, this paper could shed light on how social media could be utilized to share critical information during disaster periods, where traditional mainstream media, may not be readily available.

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Article

May 2011

This study examined the perceptions of cattle and sheep farmers on climate change and adaptation in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Using information from 500 livestock farmers between 2005 and 2009 farming season, preliminary descriptive statistics results indicated that farmers had different perceptions of climate change and adaptation measures. Further analysis using principal components showed that the perceptions could be grouped into: (i) drought and windy weather patterns; (ii) information and adaptation; (iii) climate change extension services; (iv) intensive cattle and sheep production and (v) temperatures.

Communal Farmers’ perception of drought in South Africa: policy implication for drought risk reduction

Article

Oct 2016

Drought: In Search of Sustainable Solutions to a Persistent, ‘Wicked’ Problem in South Africa

Chapter

Oct 2016

Drought is a persistent, creeping challenge for many countries in southern Africa defying neat definitions. Droughts usually occur somewhere in South Africa during any year. The more recent drought (2014–2016) has harshly reminded people of the need to be more proactive about droughts. Given this repetitive occurrence of drought, South Africa, has a long history and an interesting governance tradition of how droughts are framed and managed. A historical, comparative assessment of the role of the State and other institutional architectures in drought-risk reduction is provided. Attempts in the 1990s, for example, to widen the framing and scope of the drought challenge, with the creation of the National Consultative Drought Forum, resulted in some success in drought risk reduction. Many of the more inclusive approaches and inroads gained by this forum were picked up and continued by the National Disaster Management Act. A sustained central focus on an inclusive drought risk reduction approach has, however, not been fully sustained. Building on the National Consultative Drought Forum’s more inclusive approach and vision of holistic drought risk reduction, the case for the creation of more inclusive, permanent and participatory social learning arenas are advocated.

Understanding 2016 Drought in India by Social Media Data Mining

Article

Jul 2016

Internet and Social Media: Anthropological Aspects

Article

Dec 2015

Paula Uimonen

Generally defined as a network of networks, the Internet has had a profound impact on the social organization and cultural meaning of modern society. Since it entered the public domain in the early 1990s, the Internet has grown exponentially and is now used by one-third of the world population. Anthropologists have studied the Internet from its early social history, especially in non-Western countries. Over time, this research has evolved into the subdiscipline of digital anthropology, which studies the development and use of digital media in different cultural contexts.

Considering YouTube's value as a historical source, with reference to the 2015-2017 drought in the Vaal Triangle

Abstract

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