Kayla Van der Byl

My thesis engages with gender-based violence in South Africa, which is rooted in colonialism and apartheid and visually conveyed through the absence of black women in historical records. My project includes a book examining the origins and effects of gender oppression in South Africa. It addresses abuse and violence against women that manifest as intrinsic and pervasive aspects of gender relations. Accompanying the book is a website that seeks to uncover the perspectives of South African women throughout history. It offers an alternative form of remembering the country’s past by highlighting the contributions of women. We are still a long way from fully mapping women’s position in South Africa, both historically and in the present, but my hope is that this project will contribute to the conversation. Much must still be done to integrate these findings into our understanding of society. Overall, this project is a way to expose inequity and reveal virtue in South African society.