CSSR team meets for the second Work-in-Progress Colloquium of 2019

The Critical Studies in Sexualities and Reproduction research unit (CSSR) undertakes yearly
work-in-progress (WIP) colloquia where members present on their current research. These
colloquia offer a regular and ongoing forum in which members of the CSSR team can
present on their research for the purpose of getting feedback from colleagues and
supervisors. The WIP colloquia offer valuable opportunities for engagement at all stages of
the research process - from initial conceptualisation, research design, data collection, data
analysis, and preparing work for presentation or publication.

Such a forum provides presenters with a space to grapple with challenging issues that arise
throughout the research process. Moreover, they offer the opportunity for presenters to
improve their work based on input from the group. Similarly, attendees can gain valuable
insights through engagement with the work of others, and apply feedback and suggestions
to their own work. As such, these colloquia offer invaluable benefit to both presenters and
attendees alike, working collectively to improve overall research output for the research unit.

At the most recent WIP colloquium, Catriona Macleod presented on the findings from a
research project examining narratives of alcohol use during pregnancy among women,
partners, and family members. This work is based on research conducted by Sibongile
Matebese, Nontozamo Tsetse, Diemo Masuko, and supervised Catriona Macleod. This
research is based on two avenues of inquiry, including how women who have consumed
alcohol during their pregnancies narrate the journey of their pregnancy and how partners
and family members of women who consumed alcohol during their pregnancies narrate the
journey of the pregnancy. The presentation highlighted some of the key findings generated
by the research.

Following this, Kim Barker presented on her PhD thesis currently entitled ‘Meaning-making
and the “real effects” of participation in an anti-rape protest for women who have been
subjected to sexual violence’. Kim’s presentation focussed on an important question many
researchers must consider - how to present the data in a way that is respectful to the
experiences of participants. Given that the research draws on the experiences of victim-
survivors of sexual violence, this question is vital during the analysis phase of Kim’s
research.

Next, Tracey Feltham-King presented on ‘Discursive analyses of Bumb’ingomso (an
intervention aimed at young women’ focused on (a) physical (face to face) intervention
nexus and (b) virtual (social media campaign) intervention nexus, a research project in the
initial phases of conceptualisation. Cassandra Robertson-Ormston and Megaera Jones will
also be working on this project. Finally, Thobile Mthethwa presented on her Master’s thesis
proposal, which involves a formative evaluation of youth sexuality education interventions.
Both these presentations demonstrate the value of the WIP colloquium for those presenters
in the initial stages of conceptualising the research. Both presentations generated a number
of suggestions for researchers to consider when moving forward with their research.