Letters to the Editor and Popular Discourses on Hazing in South African Schools and School Hostels

Despite hazing being illegal in South African education institutions since December 2002 and post 2002, newspapers and research reveal that it is still practised. It seems as if popular, rather than elitist opinion and debate or research findings perpetuate hazing practices. The aim of this article is to identify popular discourses on hazing in South Africa. This paper draws on the theories of cognitive dissonance and dominance. A content analysis of 26 letters to the editor on a specific hazing incident and its aftermath provides an empirical window into nonelite public debate on the topic. The study highlights the existence of conflicting popular discourses on hazing. These conflicting discourses centre on the individual and the newspaper which exposed the incident; the plight of hazers and their victims; the role of the school in addressing hazing; and hazing per se. It is concluded that hazing practices will continue as long as a non-elitist discourse in favour of hazing exists. [For the complete Volume 12 proceedings, see ED597979.]