A number of scholars during the 1980s and early 1990s questioned the relevance of psychology in South Africa. In this paper we characterise the nature of what became known as the 'relevance debate', and then investigate whether South African psychology has become more relevant during the nation's first ten years of democracy. Themes which are identified with respect to this issue include the apparent increasing representation of marginalised groups within South African psychology, the conscious responsiveness of psychologists to post-apartheid policy imperatives and issues, their alignment with international theoretical trends, and finally, an increasing recognition of the political nature of South African psychology. The authors conclude that a more productive approach within future debates regarding relevance in psychology would be to examine the nature of knowledge production within the discipline.

Violence against women is a widespread social problem affecting millions of women. For more than three decades, researchers have explored the experiences of women in abusive relationships. Victims' accounts have been the main focus, often deflecting attention away from men who are most frequently the perpetrators. Consequently, woman abuse has come to be regarded as a 'woman's problem' -blaming women and rendering them responsible for change. The literature on perpetrators and victims of violence seems to be developing independently of each other and commonly provide one-sided accounts (mostly from victims and less often from perpetrators). This article reports on an ongoing research project that aims to explore how both partners in a violent heterosexual relationship understand and attach meanings to their experiences. In-depth interviews were conducted with five couples. An analysis of the narratives revealed that women and men's understandings of violence are both similar and different. They construct particular forms of gendered identities, which are sometimes contradictory and ambiguous. In their talk about violence and relationships, they 'perform' gender and enact hegemonic constructions of femininity and masculinity. The analysis also shows that women's and men's talk about violence is linked to broader socio-cultural mechanisms that construct woman abuse as a serious social problem in South Africa.

Like many other societies that have dealt with the question of how to achieve closure of a past of oppression while simultaneously working toward national reconstruction and reconciliation, South Africa turned to the concept of a truth commission. Public testimony constitutes the central mechanism in the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) process. Through the use of social constructionism as a broad framework in which the testimony method may be located, this descriptive study examines various narratives to uncover understandings of healing and the modes of healing invoked by both victims and those facilitating the healing process. Two data sources were used: testimony transcripts from public hearings of the TRC and transcripts from interviews with key players in the process. Thematic analysis revealed that there are multiple understandings of healing but overall, the narratives affirmed the therapeutic value of the testimony method. The central issue under discussion in the article is the connectedness between individual healing and national reconciliation.The South African Government of National Unity (GNU), elected into office in April 1994 after a 4-year period of negotiations, faced the tricky question of how to confront the wrongs of the past while simultaneously building a shared nationhood. Wilson (1995) argued that truth commissions have become one of the main mechanisms by which transitional governments seek to create legitimacy for state institutions still tainted by the legacy of the past. Indeed, it was to the concept of a truth commission that South Africa turned in pursuit of national reconciliation, unity, and peace. This article briefly describes the South African Truth and Requests for reprints should be sent to Cheryl de

Peacebuilding is frequently viewed in terms of post-conflict societal reconstruction without consideration of cultural context and gender. Using a feminist participatory methodology, this study investigated South African women's understandings of peacebuilding and how these are mediated by gender and context. Sixteen women engaged in dialogue over 2 days. Thematic analysis of the recorded dialogue provided insight into how the 16 South African women leaders understand their efforts to build a more peaceful society. The findings pointed to gender-and context-specific aspects of peacebuilding. Most of participants' peacebuilding activities occurred outside of the aegis of national governmental institutions and their peacebuilding priorities focused less upon structural rebuilding and more on processes, people, and relationships. One of the important priorities was the prevention of violence toward women. Whether these findings are gender-specific and contextually unique are topics for future research.International bodies and governmental organizations typically view peacebuilding in terms of post-conflict reconstruction of societal infrastructures and action-based approaches to peacemaking and structural rebuilding of institutions and infrastructures is frequently emphasized (e.g., see Boutros-Ghali, 1992; Canadian Centre for Foreign Policy Development, 1997). Infrequently addressed within these discourses is that peacebuilding is both culture-specific and gendered. Recent research indicates that people build peace utilizing processes that are meaningful within the contexts of their own culture. Furthermore, women may have distinct

I would also like to thank Mr Steel and Ms Marieanna Ie Roux for their invaluable contribution to the statistical analysis of the data. My appreciation to the women who participated in this project, for making time their already busy schedules. A special word of thanks goes to my mother Jo, my husband Albert, my son Jandre and my daughter Albe for their support and encouragement and for sacrificing time with me. The fInancial assistance the University Scholarship Committee of the University of Cape Town is hereby gratefully acknowledged.