Gabriel Faimau
Biographic Data
| ID | 102183 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gabriel Faimau |
| GIVEN NAMES | Gabriel |
| FAMILY NAME | Faimau |
| SIGNATURE | FAIMAU G |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Botswana |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8177-3520 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 6 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 16 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Social representation of knowledge in John 13
The washing of feet is one of the most famous biblical narratives recorded in the Gospel. While the narrative has received different interpretations, ‘knowledge’ has been identified as a significant theme. This article presents a sociological interpretation of this narrative through the lens of social representation theory. Furthermore, it reconstructs the passage and demonstrates a sociological interpretation of knowledge leading to an understan…
Adaptation Options for Climate Change in Botswana
Family narratives of loss and grief during the Covid-19 pandemic in Botswana
This study explores and documents the processes of loss and grief among families who have lost relatives due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Gaborone city, Botswana. In-person and online in-depth interviews were used to collect data from 15 families and a key informant, selected using the non-probability technique of purposive sampling. Participant observation was also used as a method of data collection. We discovered that dealing with the processes…
Trends of religious marketing and the transformation of religious practices among prophetic ministries in Botswana
In the past three decades, there has been a trend of adopting an economic approach to understanding religious practices in Africa. While studies have generally focused on the growth of Charismatic–Pentecostal churches, little attention has been paid to the trends in the use of secular advertising strategies in the marketing of religion. The aim of this paper is twofold: firstly, it explores the characteristics of religious flyers and stickers as …
Microfinance and Poverty Alleviation
Microfinance has garnered significant attention in development discourse due to its acclaimed potential to reduce poverty. Its role as a poverty reduction tool, however, has yet to be thoroughly examined. A single case study was undertaken through interviews and observations involving 30 Savings and Internal Lending in Communities beneficiaries in Semonkong, Lesotho. The rural populations in Lesotho face poverty due to, among other reasons, a lac…
Sponsored or Autogestive Materialisation of Space
Urban spaces have been centres of social struggles and transformation the world over. With reference to selected urban informal settlements in Zimbabwe, the present article draws inspiration from Henry Lefebvre’s (1991) “autogestion” thesis and examines the extent to which urban spaces have been appropriated and materialised in order to cope with the emerging urban poly-crises, particularly a shortage of land for residential purposes in Harare. T…
Botswana Print Media and the Representation of Female Victims of Intimate Partner Homicide
Intimate partner homicide (IPH) has become one of the most challenging socio-cultural issues in contemporary Botswana. This paper seeks to examine how female victims of IPH are represented in the Botswana print media. Drawing on data collected from 63 newspaper articles published in four Botswana newspapers between January 2010 and December 2013, the study found that the Botswana print media outlets generally do not represent female victims of IP…
Towards a theoretical understanding of the selfie
Over the past 2 decades or so, the triple digital revolution—social network, Internet, and mobile phone—has increased the use and popularity of the “selfie.” Within social sciences, the phenomenon of the selfie has been examined as a new culture that shapes human self‐presentation, social relationships, and social consumptions. This article provides an overview of the most common theoretical approaches that have been used by researchers to unders…
The emergence of prophetic ministries in Botswana
In the past two decades or so, Botswana has witnessed a spectacular growth of prophetic Christianity and experienced a media revolution through the emerging use of new media. While studies have generally focused on either the growth of Pentecostal Charismatic Christianity or the new media revolution, little attention has been paid to the characteristics of emerging prophetic ministries, entailing the appropriation of new media and how this has ac…
Religious testimonial narratives and social construction of identity
Giving a testimony forms a central part of the religious practices among Pentecostal churches including prophetic ministries. Testimony links the understanding of one’s religious experience and the configuration of the divine intervention. Utilizing data collected through ethnographic observation among prophetic ministries in Botswana and digital ethnography of the testimonial narratives circulated online through various new media outlets of thes…
The dynamics and digitisation of religious testimonies
A major element in the religious practice of believers in prophetic Christianity is the sharing of religious testimonies. Focusing on prophetic ministries in Botswana, this paper examines the nature and function of religious testimonies and the dynamics of their digitisation and online circulation. It explores the ways in which religious testimonies mediate or extend the reach of prophetic ministries. Using data collected through fieldwork observ…
The Conflictual Model of Analysis in Studies on the Media Representation of Islam and Muslims
This article examines ‘the West versus Islam’ paradigm in the studies on the representation of Islam and Muslims in the Western media. It argues that while offering insights which uncover the hidden oppressive power that drives the representation of cultural differences, the use of the conflictual model of analysis in exploring media representations of Islam and Muslims provides no space for understanding the creative, dialogic formation in the e…
Teaching & Learning Guide for ‘The Conflictual Model of Analysis in Studies on the Media Representation of Islam and Muslims
‘The Conflictual Model of Analysis in Studies on the Media Representation of Islam and Muslims: A Critical Review’ was published in Sociology Compass 9/5 (2015) pp. 321–335, DOI: 10.1111/soc4.12264 . This Teaching and Learning Guide is designed to accompany this article. In brief, the article examined the extent to which various studies on the media representation of Islam and Muslims use the conflictual model analysis that underpins theoretical …
British Christian Print Media and the Framing of Islam and Muslims through the Lens of Christian Persecution
‘Christian persecution’ has been widely referred to as a popular phrase to describe the suffering of Christians on the basis of their faith. Within Christianity itself, persecution has become a religious vocabulary that is commonly related to the construction and formation of Christian identity. In relation to modern and contemporary news reporting, very often ‘Christian persecution’ becomes a hot topic as far as the relationship between Muslims …
Naming Muslims as Partners
There have been many studies of the representation of Islam and Muslims in the media in recent years, but interestingly, there is no significant attention to media with a religious background. Focusing on The Tablet, a leading Catholic weekly in Britain, this study aims to fill the absence of sociological study on the representations of Islam and Muslims in the British Christian news media. The article asks the following questions: in what ways i…
Faith in flux
(2019). Faith in flux: Pentecostalism and mobility in rural Mozambique. Anthropology Southern Africa: Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 191-193
Trends of religious marketing and the transformation of religious practices among prophetic ministries in Botswana
In the past three decades, there has been a trend of adopting an economic approach to understanding religious practices in Africa. While studies have generally focused on the growth of Charismatic–Pentecostal churches, little attention has been paid to the trends in the use of secular advertising strategies in the marketing of religion. The aim of this paper is twofold: firstly, it explores the characteristics of religious flyers and stickers as …
The dynamics and digitisation of religious testimonies
A major element in the religious practice of believers in prophetic Christianity is the sharing of religious testimonies. Focusing on prophetic ministries in Botswana, this paper examines the nature and function of religious testimonies and the dynamics of their digitisation and online circulation. It explores the ways in which religious testimonies mediate or extend the reach of prophetic ministries. Using data collected through fieldwork observ…
Faith in flux
(2019). Faith in flux: Pentecostalism and mobility in rural Mozambique. Anthropology Southern Africa: Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 191-193
Religious testimonial narratives and social construction of identity
Giving a testimony forms a central part of the religious practices among Pentecostal churches including prophetic ministries. Testimony links the understanding of one’s religious experience and the configuration of the divine intervention. Utilizing data collected through ethnographic observation among prophetic ministries in Botswana and digital ethnography of the testimonial narratives circulated online through various new media outlets of thes…
Naming Muslims as Partners
There have been many studies of the representation of Islam and Muslims in the media in recent years, but interestingly, there is no significant attention to media with a religious background. Focusing on The Tablet, a leading Catholic weekly in Britain, this study aims to fill the absence of sociological study on the representations of Islam and Muslims in the British Christian news media. The article asks the following questions: in what ways i…
British Christian Print Media and the Framing of Islam and Muslims through the Lens of Christian Persecution
‘Christian persecution’ has been widely referred to as a popular phrase to describe the suffering of Christians on the basis of their faith. Within Christianity itself, persecution has become a religious vocabulary that is commonly related to the construction and formation of Christian identity. In relation to modern and contemporary news reporting, very often ‘Christian persecution’ becomes a hot topic as far as the relationship between Muslims …
The Conflictual Model of Analysis in Studies on the Media Representation of Islam and Muslims
This article examines ‘the West versus Islam’ paradigm in the studies on the representation of Islam and Muslims in the Western media. It argues that while offering insights which uncover the hidden oppressive power that drives the representation of cultural differences, the use of the conflictual model of analysis in exploring media representations of Islam and Muslims provides no space for understanding the creative, dialogic formation in the e…
Teaching & Learning Guide for ‘The Conflictual Model of Analysis in Studies on the Media Representation of Islam and Muslims
‘The Conflictual Model of Analysis in Studies on the Media Representation of Islam and Muslims: A Critical Review’ was published in Sociology Compass 9/5 (2015) pp. 321–335, DOI: 10.1111/soc4.12264 . This Teaching and Learning Guide is designed to accompany this article. In brief, the article examined the extent to which various studies on the media representation of Islam and Muslims use the conflictual model analysis that underpins theoretical …
Religious testimonial narratives and social construction of identity
Giving a testimony forms a central part of the religious practices among Pentecostal churches including prophetic ministries. Testimony links the understanding of one’s religious experience and the configuration of the divine intervention. Utilizing data collected through ethnographic observation among prophetic ministries in Botswana and digital ethnography of the testimonial narratives circulated online through various new media outlets of thes…
The dynamics and digitisation of religious testimonies
A major element in the religious practice of believers in prophetic Christianity is the sharing of religious testimonies. Focusing on prophetic ministries in Botswana, this paper examines the nature and function of religious testimonies and the dynamics of their digitisation and online circulation. It explores the ways in which religious testimonies mediate or extend the reach of prophetic ministries. Using data collected through fieldwork observ…
The emergence of prophetic ministries in Botswana
In the past two decades or so, Botswana has witnessed a spectacular growth of prophetic Christianity and experienced a media revolution through the emerging use of new media. While studies have generally focused on either the growth of Pentecostal Charismatic Christianity or the new media revolution, little attention has been paid to the characteristics of emerging prophetic ministries, entailing the appropriation of new media and how this has ac…
Towards a theoretical understanding of the selfie
Over the past 2 decades or so, the triple digital revolution—social network, Internet, and mobile phone—has increased the use and popularity of the “selfie.” Within social sciences, the phenomenon of the selfie has been examined as a new culture that shapes human self‐presentation, social relationships, and social consumptions. This article provides an overview of the most common theoretical approaches that have been used by researchers to unders…
Botswana Print Media and the Representation of Female Victims of Intimate Partner Homicide
Intimate partner homicide (IPH) has become one of the most challenging socio-cultural issues in contemporary Botswana. This paper seeks to examine how female victims of IPH are represented in the Botswana print media. Drawing on data collected from 63 newspaper articles published in four Botswana newspapers between January 2010 and December 2013, the study found that the Botswana print media outlets generally do not represent female victims of IP…
Sponsored or Autogestive Materialisation of Space
Urban spaces have been centres of social struggles and transformation the world over. With reference to selected urban informal settlements in Zimbabwe, the present article draws inspiration from Henry Lefebvre’s (1991) “autogestion” thesis and examines the extent to which urban spaces have been appropriated and materialised in order to cope with the emerging urban poly-crises, particularly a shortage of land for residential purposes in Harare. T…
Family narratives of loss and grief during the Covid-19 pandemic in Botswana
This study explores and documents the processes of loss and grief among families who have lost relatives due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Gaborone city, Botswana. In-person and online in-depth interviews were used to collect data from 15 families and a key informant, selected using the non-probability technique of purposive sampling. Participant observation was also used as a method of data collection. We discovered that dealing with the processes…
Faith in flux
(2019). Faith in flux: Pentecostalism and mobility in rural Mozambique. Anthropology Southern Africa: Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 191-193
Trends of religious marketing and the transformation of religious practices among prophetic ministries in Botswana
In the past three decades, there has been a trend of adopting an economic approach to understanding religious practices in Africa. While studies have generally focused on the growth of Charismatic–Pentecostal churches, little attention has been paid to the trends in the use of secular advertising strategies in the marketing of religion. The aim of this paper is twofold: firstly, it explores the characteristics of religious flyers and stickers as …
Microfinance and Poverty Alleviation
Microfinance has garnered significant attention in development discourse due to its acclaimed potential to reduce poverty. Its role as a poverty reduction tool, however, has yet to be thoroughly examined. A single case study was undertaken through interviews and observations involving 30 Savings and Internal Lending in Communities beneficiaries in Semonkong, Lesotho. The rural populations in Lesotho face poverty due to, among other reasons, a lac…
Social representation of knowledge in John 13
The washing of feet is one of the most famous biblical narratives recorded in the Gospel. While the narrative has received different interpretations, ‘knowledge’ has been identified as a significant theme. This article presents a sociological interpretation of this narrative through the lens of social representation theory. Furthermore, it reconstructs the passage and demonstrates a sociological interpretation of knowledge leading to an understan…
Adaptation Options for Climate Change in Botswana
Sociology (14 works) · Political science (13 works) · Law (8 works) · Philosophy (8 works) · Philosophy (7 works) · Gender Studies (6 works) · Politics (6 works) · Epistemology (5 works) · Law (5 works) · Social science (5 works)