Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (JHASS)

The Afterlife of Marriage in Contemporary and Historical Fiction

Marziyeh Foroughi — 2026-04-18

This paper examines the persistence and transformation of the marriage plot from nineteenth-century realist fiction to twenty-first-century experimental literature. Drawing on Lauren Berlant’s concept of cruel optimism and theoretical frameworks from feminist, queer, and affect studies, the research employs a qualitative comparative method to analyze how marriage functions as both a narrative form and an emotional economy. Through close readings of George Eliot’s Middlemarch and Kate Chopin’s The Awakening alongside contemporary works such as Jenny Offill’s Dept. of Speculation, Sarah Manguso’s Liars, Sheila Heti’s Motherhood, and Miranda July’s All Fours, the study finds that contemporary “post-marriage” novels fragment and reconfigure the traditional plot to represent emotional labor, gendered fatigue, and the collapse of romantic closure. These texts inherit the structure of the classical marriage narrative only to dismantle it through recursive form and affective dissonance. The findings suggest that the marriage plot endures not because it resolves desire, but because it continues to express the contradictions of intimacy, care, and autonomy in modern life. By linking narrative structure to emotional economies, the paper contributes to ongoing debates on gendered labor and the affective afterlife of marriage in contemporary fiction.

Continuities and Discontinuities in Post-Apartheid Parenting in South Africa

Phumuzani Mpofu — 2026-04-18

This study explores the continuities and discontinuities in post-apartheid parenting in South Africa, examining how colonial and apartheid legacies continue to shape family life while intersecting with contemporary social, economic, and cultural changes. Guided by postcolonial theory and a transformative paradigm, the research employed a qualitative case study design, engaging 30 participants, including young adults, parents, and professionals involved in child-rearing. Data were generated through focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews, then analysed thematically to identify enduring and emergent parenting practices. Findings reveal that traditional communal values, moral instruction, and relational care rooted in Ubuntu persist alongside evolving norms shaped by children’s rights legislation, urbanization, globalization, and digital media exposure. Disciplinary practices, gender roles, and parental authority reflect both intergenerational continuities and negotiated adaptations, with tensions arising between preserving cultural norms and embracing rights-based, democratic approaches. Participants highlighted hybrid parenting strategies that blend indigenous values with contemporary developmental frameworks and emphasized the importance of schools, religious institutions, and community structures in supporting child-rearing. The study underscores the need for a uniquely South African parenting model that harmonizes Ubuntu-based principles with modern notions of child autonomy, positive discipline, and social responsibility. By documenting how history, culture, and socio-political transformation intersect in parenting, this research provides insights for policymakers, educators, and practitioners seeking to strengthen culturally grounded and contextually responsive family practices in post-apartheid South Africa.

An Assessment of Urban Good Governance Challenges and Their Trends in Alamata Town Since 2020

Daniel Girmay Teka — 2026-04-18

The purpose of this study was to assess the significance of good governance and its challenges in Raya Alamata Town administrative office. Descriptive survey based on cross sectional study was used to attain the objective of the research. The research has been carried out in southern maychew Raya Alamata Town Questionnaires; interview and document review techniques were employed as data gathering instruments. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as percentage, bar graph, pie chart, and cross –tabulations. The analyzed findings indicated that significance of good governance and its challenge in Alamata Town has been presented. Lack of awareness of the society and knowledge and skill of the officers on properly implementation of good governance has impact on societal outlook, which constrains playing part in governance. To curb challenges, Ethiopian government has taken number of measures that could be considered as opportunities. This includes adaption of FDRE constitution, amendment of domestic laws, development plan that enhances the development of country in many accesses that helps society participate on government and related commitments of government. Nevertheless, in the study Woreda there were knowledge and skill gaps on planning, execution, and evaluations. In addition, the administrative office was not transparent and accountable to the society. The societies were not participating on resource management, financial planning, and administrative issues. This was part of the study Town administrative office, that the study recommends integrated effort of the government and society needs to embark upon challenges of governing and minimizes problems of good governance.