Department of Sociology
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Item "Taming the beast”: Theorizing the use of mobile phones amongst traders in Accra(University of Ghana, 2015-04-17) Asante, R.K.B.Over the years, the domestication theory has been used to explore the "taming" of the television within the household space of western nations. However, few studies have employed this theory to examine the "taming" of other technologies outside the private space of people. This paper will attempt to show the process involved in the taming of technology outside the private space of people within the Ghanaian context by examining how traders in Accra domesticate the mobile phone considering data from 374 randomly selected traders. The findings showed that the taming of the mobile phone in the public-private space of the traders is largely conditioned by the culture of their public-private space. Additionally, the taming process for the mobile phone follows a parallel- cyclical process and not the inherent unilineal process described by the domestication process.Item Sexual harassment and sexual harassment policies in organisations in Ghana: Confessions of duty bearers(University of Ghana, 2015-04-17) Dzorgbo, D-B.S.; Ashe, A.S.This study investigates the nature and level of implementation of sexual harassment policies in formal organizations in Ghana. That the phenomenon of sexual harassment is widespread albeit under- reported has been repeatedly stressed in the literature as well as in many friendship and intimate interaction contexts. Its incidence is high particularly among young women and therefore constitutes sexual violence against them. The repercussions of sexual harassment do not only undermine occupational well-being, health, and safety of victims but also their marriages, families, workplace productivity and thus society at large. In this paper, we interrogate the interface between sexual harassment cases and the implementation of sexual harassment policies at workplaces. More specifically, we explore the nature of sexual harassment in work organisations, the perceptions, and understandings of those who implement sexual harassment policies in workplaces as well as the level of implementation of these policies. The data come mainly from in-depth interviews with stakeholders or duty bearers. On the basis of the findings, the need to develop and implement a comprehensive sexual harassment policy at organisational levels is identified as a crucial variable in combating sexual harassment at workplaces in Ghana.Item Aphrodisiacs and phallic competence: Implications for dominant masculinity(University of Ghana, 2015-04-17) Fiaveh, D.Y.; Okyerefo, M.P.K.; Fayorsey, C.K.The study explores how use of aphrodisiacs influence the construction of phallic competence and sex decision making based on in-depth interviews with 20 women and 16 men in Ghana. Participants were recruited mainly by word-of-mouth through purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The findings indicate that aphrodisiacs influence dominant masculinity for both women and men. Women differentiated between men based on their phallic competence (ability to satisfy a woman sexually) and preferred eho ne ho (average) penis for sex. The penis has to perform satisfactorily to stimulate a woman's sexual pleasure. In reality, however, the size of a penis does not necessarily matter once it can sexually satisfy a woman even if it is a small penis. The use of aphrodisiac was mainly to sustain erection and prolong sex in order to satisfy a woman sexually. Women were selfish in their quest to seek sexual pleasure and exerted indirect pressures on their male partners to seek sexual virility by recommending and providing them with aphrodisiacs.Item Maneuvering the labelling status: Life stories of juvenile delinquents in adulthood transitions(University of Ghana, 2015-04-17) Abrah, P.B.Traditional labelling theorists contend that acquisition of a delinquent status can be problematic for some group of individuals who aged out of the criminal justice system as they progressed through adulthood. Using a qualitative research design, this paper addresses the question of how labeling explains persistence of crime over an individual's life course by tracking and exploring the lived experiences of 23 juvenile delinquents who have persisted and desisted from crime and were once committed to the Senior Boys Correctional Centre (SBCC) in Accra. The participants shared their life stories on how their acquisition of a delinquent status (labelling) impacted on their transformation. The narratives generated from their pattern of responses depart from the theoretical underlying assumptions of traditional labelling scholars, Lemert (1957), Becker (1963) and Goffman (1963). The findings suggest that labelling per se does not necessarily explain persistence of crime over all individual's life course as the narratives frequently project voices of juvenile delinquents who manage their delinquent status in the face negative societal reactions. The study therefore emphasized the need for criminal justice experts, correctional service providers and other private institutions to incorporate social support systems and cognitive behavourial treatment into their broader policy frameworks and agenda towards the reformation of criminals.