A. Gilbert et al., PLANTING PUMPKINS - SOCIALIZATION AND THE ROLE OF LOCAL KNOWLEDGE IN RURAL SOUTH-AFRICA, South African Journal of Psychology, 25(4), 1995, pp. 229-235
It is argued that socialization is a contradictory process of continui
ty and transformation. In times of rapid social change and when people
have limited access to resources to embrace the change, the contradic
tions are particularly pronounced. Such circumstances exist for parent
s and care-givers in rural South Africa, Drawing on the idea of local
knowledge - the presuppositions used to interpret immediate experience
borne out of action in the local environment - the experiences of bla
ck parents living in two different rural scenarios, white farms and ru
ral villages, are examined. Three dilemmas facing parents, emerging fr
om the interpretation of case studies, are identified: maintaining the
home and intact family life; providing ontinuity between the past and
future; and setting boundaries for children's action. Strategies foll
owed by parents in dealing with these dilemmas are explored. Like the
vine of the pumpkin, the local knowledge of parents provides the threa
d of continuity for bringing up a child in a changing world.