Tamar as victim of levirate marriage? : reading Genesis 38 within a Zulu cultural context of marriage

Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2017.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Zulu society for the most part is deeply patriarchal in nature and rooted in male dominance that is supported by androcentric cultural beliefs and practices that have led to the oppression of women. Because of patriarchy, Zulu marriage for many women implies victimization and objectification. In particular, the inability to bear male children has resulted in the victimization of the wives that subsequently diminishes their worth as human beings and also has implications for their religious life. In this study, the story of Tamar as told in Genesis 38 is read in the context of the ostracism and oppression that many Zulu women continue to experience in marriage. Reading the story of Tamar, who can be described as a victim of levirate marriage gone wrong, by means of an African Feminist and a Postcolonial Feminist exegetical approach, this study proposes that the story of Tamar may offer Zulu women an alternative way of understanding their own situation, not just as victims, but as survivors as well. In Chapter 2 of this study, I explore Zulu culture and identity in relation to gender by venturing into the cultural folktales to discover the hidden oppression over its women. The purpose of this chapter is to show how cultural symbols like folktales reflect the culture of subjugation and domination over women. But, more importantly, I demonstrate how these folktales serve as a way of socialization of girls and the perpetuation of the male idealization of women in marriage. Furthermore, I show in this chapter how the dominant paradigm of Zulu life in relation to marriage to a great extent continues to centres on the necessity of procreation. I moreover show that the reality of infertility and barrenness and the social consequences reveal some of the layers of ambiguities within the Zulu context of marriage that is rooted in a patriarchal culture that oppresses women and is detrimental to their health. In Chapter 3 of this thesis, the story of Tamar will be read by means of an African Feminist approach that will employ the experience of Zulu women’s oppression in the context of marriage in order to expose the different practices that allow men to victimise, objectify and control women in the cultural marital context. And in Chapter 4 of this thesis, the same text will be read through the lens of a Postcolonial Feminist approach in which themes such as hybridity and mimicry will be used to explore the imperial elements in Genesis 38 when it will be shown how the character of Judah comes to represent Israel as the “coloniser” who is subjugating the Canaanite “Other”, Tamar. Reading Tamar’s story through an African Feminist as well as a Postcolonial Feminist lens affirms that subalterns like Tamar as also many Zulu women today do have a voice after all. Through this study, the possibility for the voices of Zulu women regarding their oppression they experience in terms of marriage is opened up. Female survivors of such oppression are called to help liberate the women of our culture by teaching them how one subverts the oppressive structures in order for every woman in the Zulu culture to flourish. This is a society in which Zulu men treat their women with the same dignity and respect that they themselves demand and which Zulu women are able to reach their full potential and not judged in terms of their ability of bringing a male child in the world.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Zoeloe gemeenskap is grootliks patriargaal in aard en gebaseer op manlike oorheersing wat deur androsentriese kulturele oortuigings en praktyke gevoed word wat lei tot die onderdrukking van vroue. As gevolg van patriargie, impliseer die instelling van die huwelik vir baie vroue viktimisasie en objektivering. In besonder, die onvermoë om seuns in die wêreld te bring gee aanleiding tot die viktimisering van vroue wat hulle waarde as volwaardige mense aantas wat ondermeer implikasies inhou ook vir hul godsdienstige lewe. In hierdie studie, word die verhaal van Tamar soos vertel in Genesis 38 gelees in die konteks van die onderdrukking en verwerping wat baie Zoeloe vroue steeds ervaar in die huwelik. Die verhaal van Tamar, wat beskryf kan word as 'n slagoffer van leviraat huwelik wat verkeerd geloop het, word in hierdie studie deur middel van 'n Afrika Feministiese en 'n Postkoloniale Feministiese eksegetiese benadering gelees. Die studie stel voor dat die verhaal van Tamar vir Zoeloe vroue ‘n alternatiewe manier bied om hul eie situasie te verstaan, nie net as slagoffers nie, maar ook as oorwinnaars. In hoofstuk 2 van hierdie studie, word die Zoeloe kultuur en identiteit in terme van gender deur middel van kulturele volksverhale ondersoek om die onderdrukking van vroue aan te spreek wat dikwels versteek is. Die doel van hierdie hoofstuk is om aan te toon hoe kulturele simbole soos volksverhale die kultuur van die onderwerping van en oorheersing oor vroue weerspieël. Maar meer belangrik, hierdie studie demonstreer hoe hierdie volksverhale as 'n manier van sosialisering van meisies kan dien wat die voortbestaan van die manlike idealisering van vroue in die huwelik insluit. Daar word ondermeer in hierdie hoofstuk aangetoon hoe die dominante paradigma van Zoeloe lewe met betrekking tot die huwelik tot 'n groot mate nog steeds gemik is op die noodsaaklikheid van voortplanting. Hoofstuk 2 wys verder op die realiteit van onvrugbaarheid in die Zoeloe konteks en veral die sosiale gevolge wat dit inhou vir vroue binne die konteks van die huwelik wat grootliks gegrond is in 'n patriargale kultuur wat vroue onderdruk en voorts nadelig is vir hul gesondheid. In Hoofstuk 3 van hierdie tesis sal die verhaal van Tamar gelees word deur middel van 'n Afrika Feministiese benadering wat fokus op die onderdrukking wat Zoeloe vroue in die konteks ervaar en skadelike praktyke wat toelaat dat vroue geviktimiseer, verobjektiveer en beheer word in diens in van die kultuur blootlê. En in Hoofstuk 4 van hierdie tesis sal dieselfde teks gelees word deur die lens van 'n postkoloniale feministiese benadering wanneer temas soos hibriditeit (“hybridity”) en nabootsing (“mimcry”) gebruik word om die imperialistiese elemente in Genesis 38 te ondersoek. Daar sal ondermeer aangetoon word hoe die karakter van Juda, Israel verteenwoordig as die "koloniseerder" wat die Kanaänitiese "Ander," Tamar, onderwerp. Deur die verhaal van Tamar deur 'n Afrika Feministiese sowel as 'n Postkoloniale Feministiese lens te lees bevestig hierdie studie dat subalterns soos Tamar asook Zoeloe vroue vandag tog wel ‘n stem het. Deur middel van hierdie studie, word die moontlikheid geopen vir hierdie stemme van Zoeloe vroue met betrekking tot die onderdrukking wat hulle ervaar in terme van hulle huwelik om gehoor te word. Vroue wat sodanige onderdrukking ervaar het, word opgeroep om te help om die vroue van ons kultuur te bevry deur hulle te help nadink oor die moontlikhede om onderdrukkende strukture teen te staan ten einde dit moontlik te maak vir elke vrou in die Zoeloe kultuur om te floreer. Die hoop is om 'n samelewing daar te stel waarin Zoeloe mans hul vroue met dieselfde waardigheid en respek behandel as wat hulle vir hulself wens, en wat verder Zoeloe vroue in staat stel om hul volle potensiaal te bereik wat nie beperk is tot hul vermoë om 'n manlike kind in die wêreld te bring