Pathways to Resilience IV: Global South Perspectives

Invited Symposium Summary
Southern African Indigenous Pathways to Resilience
Presenters: Liesel Ebersöhn, Funke Omidire, Marlize Malan-Van Rooyen, Maximus Sefotho, Ruth Mampane
Facilitator: Angela Hart
Southern African indigenous pathways to resilience findings are shared. Lenses for non-western knowledge generation is presented given largely western knowledge in psychology. Age-old care and support interventions in seven high adversity, predominant non-western Southern African settings continue to buffer against structural disparity in the absence of policy-regulated services.

Invited Symposium Abstracts
Concepts and methods to generate knowledge on Indigenous Pathways to Resilience
Presenter: Marlize Malan-Van Rooyen (University of Pretoria, South Africa)
Co-Authors: Funke Omidire, Ruth Mampane, Liesel Ebersöhn, Maximus Sefotho
Abstract: In this presentation we share conceptual and methodological lenses followed in multiple studies in the Centre for the Study of Resilience to build knowledge on Southern African indigenous pathways to resilience (IPR). We provide a brief overview of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund IPR-study: Imbeleko. The postcolonial paradigm frames research in this predominant non-western Southern African ecology. Indigenous knowledge systems, indigenous psychology, and Participatory Reflection and Action inform transformative-emancipatory knowledge generation to compliment and supplement predominantly Western knowledge in psychology. This Comparative case study: seven conveniently sampled Southern African cases of high adversity, indigenous belief systems on a regional basis (Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, South African provinces: Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Limpopo, North West. Convenient sample of participants (n=430), stratified by age (elders=240; youth=190), gender (men=150 and women=280) and site. PRA used for data generation in home languages: one day, six hours per site. Focused on enabling participants to co-construct narratives interactively regarding indigenous strategies to buoy resilience, i.e. traditional care and support strategies. Sessions were audio-visually recorded, followed by in-case and cross-case analysis of textual and visual data.

Flocking and psychosocial support in Southern Africa: a collective, collaborative and pragmatic endeavour
Presenter: Liesel Ebersöhn (University of Pretoria, South Africa)
Co-Authors: Funke Omidire, Ruth Mampane, Marlize Malan-Van Rooyen, Maximus Sefotho
Abstract: In order to supplement existing knowledge on pathways to resilience in emerging economies (as manifested in psychosocial support interventions), this comparative case study describes indigenous pathways used for psychosocial support which have been used traditionally in postcolonial Southern Africa in the absence of formal wellbeing services. It was evident that Non-western pathways to resilience is premised on the belief that support is collective, collaborative and pragmatic. It includes emotional-, spiritual and practical support. Wellbeing interventions in high risk communities with resource constraints can incorporate psychosocial practices that are familiar to communities and have remained robust over time.

Age-old care and support practices in Southern Africa functioning robustly as sophisticated social technology interventions
Presenter: Ruth Mampane and Maximus Sefotho (University of Pretoria, South Africa)
Co-Authors: Marlize Malan-Van Rooyen, Funke Omidire, Liesel Ebersöhn
Abstract: This comparative case study uses the lens of indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) to explore indigenous pathways to psychosocial care and support. It emerged that Indigenous pathways to resilience (here care and support interventions) continue to be used as fundamentally relational and pragmatic pathways of resource management. They include reciprocal donations; shared savings in societies; partnerships and borrowing/lending: not outdated vestiges of previous times, but robust and sophisticated social technologies of care and support.