Monkey in a Spiderweb: The Dynamics of Farmer Control and Paternalism.

Paternalism as a mechanism of control has been used on South African farms since the seventeenth century. This paper explores the gendered nature of paternalism on grape farms in the Western Cape in the contemporary period and illustrates the contradictory and convoluted manner in which paternalism is played out. Control is not always the preserve of the farmer and other residents can exert control and put into effect paternalistic notions of support or denial. Women living on farms have a variety of ways in which they either make demands on the famer or avoid contact with him. This paper examines the complex and often hidden aspect of female interaction that occurs within paternalism and shows how women at particular points in the life-cycle are far less vulnerable to paternalistic authority than women at other points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]