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This period saw one of the largest stages of British settlement in Africa, and approximately 4, Settlers arrived in the Cape, in around 60 different parties, between April and June The settlers were granted farms near the village of Bathurst, and supplied equipment and food against their deposits. A combination of factors caused many of the settlers to leave these farms for the surrounding towns. Firstly, many of the settlers were artisans with no interest in rural life, and lacked agricultural experience. In addition, life on the border was harsh and they suffered problems such as drought, rust conditions that affected crops, and a lack of transport.
Therefore many settlers left the eastern border in search of a better life in towns such as Port Elizabeth, Grahamstown and East London. The eastern border therefore never became as densely populated as Somerset had hoped. The settlers who did remain as farmers made a significant contribution to agriculture, by planting maize, rye and barley. They also began wool farming which later became a very lucrative trade. Some of the settlers, who were traders by profession, also made a significant contribution to business and the economy.
New towns such as Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth therefore grew rapidly.
At the time, King Shaka ruled the territory with highly-trained warriors. Bryman further explains:.
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The problem that much quantitative research is relatively unconcerned with theory implies that it is a weak account of how concepts come into being and also how they come to be subject to a measurement process. In fact, concepts provide a central focus for much social science research but they are loosely or tangentially related theoretical considerations. Six focus group discussions were conducted and interviews were held when necessary in order for the respondents to expand further on what had emerged on the discussions.
Due to the fact that our research focuses on the social production of meaning, this study is a reception analysis which is predicated upon a qualitative approach to research that includes both text and the socially situated audience [ 29 , 30 ]. It is therefore important in this research that we focus on the audience reception and their social conditions social context , because the meanings that they make from watching this show Idols are preceded by experiences which have occurred in their lived context.
This approach is useful as it suggests that the everyday constructions and interpretations people make about their lives should be taken into consideration in any conception of social science research [ 31 ]. The main central aim of ethnographic reception analysis is therefore to understand the live experiences of the audience.
Thus, it then has to engage with the situational contexts in which the media are used and interpreted [ 22 ]. As discussed in our literature review that cultural studies proposes that the main aim of reception ethnography is to understand the lived experiences of the consumers.
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Thus it is important that this approach engages with the situational context of the everyday lives in which the media are used and understood [ 22 ]. The respondents had this to say when asked about how the view the show:. R : I watch the show with my sister, my mom and dad. My dad is the huge fan of the show. It turns out that on Sundays at 5pm everyone is ready to watch Idols. As we would know that the viewing context is a rule-based context in which power relations play significant roles.
It is therefore important that we pay significant attention to the viewing context because we need to consider the issues of power that translate into this context like negotiations like around programme choice [ 17 ]. The respondents have this to say:. R : I watch the show with my sister so that I can be comfortable and not be disturbed.
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R : I watch the show with my family and friends because I like the comfort of being in my own space and I enjoy the heated conversations we have over the show and about the contestants. Other contestants also stated that stated that they like watching the show with their family and friends because the conversations and the debate that they engage in with the people they watch the show with.
The viewing of television in this case is not disruptive of the social relations that exists between the family members and friend, but rather enhances the view experience into something that they enjoy. It is Strelitz [ 17 ] that suggests that taking into consideration the household context in which the viewing takes place, enable us to move beyond the idea that looks at television as disruptive of family.
Strelitz [ 17 ] explains that the focus should be on the way in which television can be used in order construct occasions which enable various types of interactions to be pursued. As it has pointed in chapter two that the socio-economic conditions of Grahamstown represent those that prevail in the broader society in South Africa. What is interesting enough in the case of this study is the way in which the viewing experience of the show is negotiated by the fans of the show in this location? Due to high unemployment rates many households do not have DTV connection because they cannot afford the monthly subscriptions.
But this does not stop the minority group of fan from watching the show. Those who are fortunate enough to have connections are in any case always willing to invite and welcome those who do not have connection to watch the show every Sunday. In this way, new social relations are created and new ways of interacting are pursued as Strelitz [ 17 ] suggests.
This is evident in this study. Majority of the respondents mentioned that, as they watch the show with friend and family members, there people who do not have Dstv connection who usually come and watch they show with them. Through this interaction and watching the show with other, new social relations that would have not been formed if it were not for the interest in the show, are formed. During the preliminary interviews, one of the respondents also suggested that they sometimes hosts a couple of friends on Sundays when they are watching the show.
One of the friends they usually invite is someone who her parent did not know, but through these constant visits, a new bond was created by these constants visits on Sundays.
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The respondent explained that she has a friend that is a fan of Idols. From then on, the parents were introduced to the friend who has now become a regular visitor on Sundays in order to watch the show. One of the contestants attested mentioning that the only competition on the show is he, while others mentioned the names of the contestants which they thought were the strongest.
This way some sort of competitiveness is set out to be the most important factor in the competition. Not only does this put pressure on the contestants, but it also makes them highly competitive with one another. This indicates that being of the show is the survival of the fittest.
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Another contestant said that every single person taking part in the competition is versatile. By saying this, the contestant is means that even though they are in a competition, there is something different that each contestant has which is different from what others have. He further stated that each contestant has an upper hand over the other, but no one really has leverage on anyone. Also in the case of contestants being interviewed. When one assesses the clothes they wear, the background of where the interviews are done is different as compared before they got to Sun City.
In Sun City, everything is clear, the cameras and the lighting is done as if a well-known celebrity is going to perform. By doing so, the producers are setting the scene for both the viewers and the contestant. What Turner suggests here, is the idea that producers will do almost anything in order to sell the notion or lifestyle of celebrity and glamorous and something that the viewers should desire and aspire to.
Furthermore this separation made it easy for researchers to examine the interconnections between identity con-construction and impoliteness in a media genre like talent shows such as Idol. Other constructivist theories have argued that relational work should form part of the work on identity and further explained that face should be viewed as closely related to, and embedded, in identity [ 33 ].
This approach suggests that it is identities rather than the individuals who carry out social practices.
By so doing, this approach made it easier to understand that it is identities that have face. The judges occupy an important role in the show. Their roles are often described as an interactional one as they lead by asking questions and summoning the contestants to sing while they are making their assessments. The contestants are required to sing in front of the judges while after judgment they have to argue their chance in the show. During this phase of the show, the viewers have the ultimate say on which contestants make it to the next round. Therefore, a contestant actually wins the contest against the expert judgment.
The relation between the audience, contestants and the show remains an interesting field of research amongst some ranchers. To put this into context, the respondents for this study have indicated that the judgment that the judges make in some case is not always a fair.
Hence the intervention of the viewers is also needed at some stage in the show. Here are some of the responses about the way that judges assess the contestants. It is not a good thing that the future and the fate of the contestants must lie in the hands of four people.
It is a good thing that at some stage in the show, the audiences is asked to intervene. Some respondent felt a different way.
R : I honestly think that the judging in the show is fair because the judges show no favoritism. R : The way the judges assess the contestants is fair. The show is the image of how aggressive the music industry is, so the judges are okay for being tough on them. These responses are an indication that the respondents themselves feel different about how the judges conduct their assessments of the contestants. Hence then it is not a surprising issue that the contestant- judge and viewer judge interaction is often found to be very confrontational at times, making this section of the show a crucial locus for identity negotiation and impoliteness.
In addition, different Idol judges relate can and do relate to the entertainment dimension of the show in different ways, an area which needs further research on its own. Where impoliteness is genre-sanctioned as in the case of Idol, there have been a debates amongst researchers in that field whether or not the confrontainment within which impoliteness is recognized emerges and develops can still be considered impolite. To answer this, recent global explosion of confrontainment-based reality television genres signals the view that is recognized as such, even if it is genresanctioned and that it is used as an important attentiongrabbing mechanism.
In the interview, the contestants also said that the part of the show they enjoy the most is the live show.