AFRIKAANS : Die Simboliese Ossewatrek wat op 8 Augustus 1938 by die Van Riebeeck-standbeeld in Kaapstad begin het en op 16 Desember 1938 met die hoeksteenlegging van die Voortrekkermonument in Pretoria geëindig het, het tydens die honderdjarige herdenking van die Groot Trek grootliks tot die oplewing van Afrikanernasionalisme en Afrikaneridentiteitsvorming bygedra. Tydens die Voortrekkereeufeesvieringe in 1938 het die waens na beraming by meer as vyfhonderd dorpe en plekke aangedoen waar entoesiasties feesgevier is met historiese optogte en opvoerings, kerkdienste, toesprake en feesredes en die lê van ’n klipstapel of die onthulling van ’n monument of gedenkteken wat spesiaal vir die geleentheid opgerig is. Die doel van die studie was om eerstens ’n gedetailleerde databasis saam te stel oor die minder bekende monumente en gedenktekens wat in 1938 dwarsoor Suid-Afrika opgerig is en om hulle sover moontlik behoorlik te dokumenteer. Tweedens is die relevansie, kulturele betekenis en bewaring van die tasbare onverskuifbare erfenis in ’n post-apartheid Suid-Afrika geëvalueer en bespreek. ENGLISH : The symbolic ox-wagon trek that started on 8 August 1938 at the Van Riebeeck statue in Cape Town and ended with the foundation stone laying of the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria on 16 December 1938, contributed to the revival of Afrikaner Nationalism and the forming of an Afrikaner identity. During the Voortrekker Centenary celebrations in 1938 the wagons visited more than five hundred towns where the inhabitants enthusiastically celebrated the event with historical pageants and processions, church services, speeches and usually stone cairns were layed or a monument or memorial was unveiled to commemorate the occasion. The main aim of this study was to compile a detailed database about these often unknown monuments and memorials that were erected all over South Africa in 1938 and to document them as far as possible. The second aim was to evaluate and discuss the relevance, cultural significance and preservation of these unmovable heritage structures in a post-apartheid South Africa. / Dissertation (MHCS)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Historical and Heritage Studies / unrestricted

This study explores the relationship between literature and society against the background of the emergence in the 1930s and 1940s in South Africa of a form of Afrikaner nationalism that was spearheaded by members of the Afrikaner petty bourgeoisie and intelligentsia and a subsequent expansion in Afrikaans literary production. It addresses problems of explanation in Afrikaner nationalism by focusing attention on the question of culture, the field of imagination and the domain of everyday life. In particular, the study examines the Keurboslaan series - a series of schoolboy stories aimed at juvenile readers - by Stella Blakemore, and traces the production, circulation and critical reception of the twenty titles in the series. The first title in this series was published in 1941 and the series has been reprinted several times over a number of decades and as recently as 1997. Drawing on the work of Benedict Anderson, this study illuminates the link between the emergence of print capitalism and the production of popular fiction on the one hand and nationalism on the other. Whilst this is a link that is not often explored, an analysis of the Keurboslaan series illustrates that the study of popular fiction can illuminate the practices through which nationalism gains popular support. It is argued that the Keurboslaan series produced a narrative of the Afrikaner ‘nation’ in popular fiction, but that this narrative was not authenticated by the intelligentsia and petty bourgeoisie who were the driving forces behind Afrikaner nationalism and its contents. It is further argued that this ‘narrative of nation’ circulated alongside more official narratives of the ‘nation’ espoused in discourses of religion, science and literature published in Afrikaans. The narrative of ‘nation’ in Keurboslaan – whilst sharing many similarities with official narratives in other discourses – but also differs from those discourses in important respects. It is argued that the popular series was influential precisely because it imagined the Afrikaner ‘nation’ in very different ways and on different terms from those discourses. Moreover, the form in which this narrative was produced, that is popular youth literature, appealed to readers of Afrikaans who were in search of escapist fiction. For these readers, the Keurboslaan series helped to give shape to and created new possibilities for interpreting the world that they inhabited. Reading the school as a corollary of the ‘nation’, it is argued that the narrative of the nation in Keurboslaan series explores the boundaries between the self and the other and posits the self as a danger to the self, resulting in an emphasis on the need to discipline the self. This kind of analysis also creates the space for examining in what ways ideas and identities about ‘race’, gender, sexuality, class and ‘nation’ are constructed in the texts. Yet, the study maintains that whilst the Keurboslaan series contributed to creating a space in which a particular understanding of the self and the world becomes possible, and whereas the reader is not conceived of as a completely free agent that can derive simply any meaning from the text, the study and its theoretical underpinnings do not fully account for individual readers’ engagement with popular texts and the ways in which reading strategies and habits can generate different, ambiguous or inconclusive meanings for readers. It is suggested that a study of popular texts and Afrikaner nationalism employing theories of reading and the reader will complement this analysis. / Thesis (DLitt (Literary Theory))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Afrikaans / unrestricted

Magister Artium - MA / This biography of Dr Vera Bührmann is an intersectional and interdisciplinary investigation of an unusual Afrikaner woman who occupied several unusual places in South African society. Through rigorous archival research and a wide reading of English and Afrikaans secondary sources, I examine the mythology that has grown up around Dr Bührmann and expose contradictions and inaccuracies inherent within these myths. I adopt a chronological approach but focus on certain key motifs. I dwell on her family background in order to demonstrate the depths of the Afrikaner nationalist tradition to which she was heir. I uncover the impact that physical anthropology had on her during her initial medical training at Wits and UCT in the 1930s. I highlight the intensity of her commitment to, and leadership roles in, the Ossewa-Brandwag and Dietse Kinderfonds, both extremist right-wing Afrikaner nationalist organisations. Vera’s marital crises reveal something of her ‘human’ side but are an important component of her story because she reinvented herself following her divorce in the early 1950s, furthering her medical qualifications as well as training as a Jungian analyst. I investigate the various fields in which she worked following her return to South Africa in late 1959 but focus on her cross-cultural psychiatry research with a Xhosa igqira in the 1970s and 1980s since much of the mythology that surrounds her is based on publications that flowed from that research. I engage critically with her published works and associated archival records and present evidence which shows that the view that she underwent a ‘Damascus Road’ experience with respect to her racial politics is unfounded. The racial politics of her ancestors and the ideology of the radical right-wing Ossewa-Brandwag remained with her throughout her life, despite attempts (by Vera and others) to camouflage it. In addition, I show that her use of Jungian depth psychology as a framework for cross-cultural psychiatry research contributed to the reification of apartheid racial politics. This study draws attention to the many pioneering achievements of this remarkable woman but argues that a more nuanced approach to her legacy is needed in light of the evidence of her persistent racial prejudice.

Text in Afrikaans / This thesis entitled The contribution of Erich Mayer towards the establishment of an aesthetic consciousness and the promotion of an art identity in South Africa to the end of the 1930s, is a study of the ideas, ideals and contributions of the German-Jewish artist Erich Mayer concerning the establishment of a national art identity in South Africa. Mayer was born in Germany in 1876. Because of ill health he came to South Africa, where he settled in 1898 and developed an affinity with the Afrikaner pioneers in the rural areas. This natural connection with the Afrikaner pioneers was the main motivation behind his participation in the Anglo-Boer War. With his sound European background and training at various art academies in Berlin and Stuttgart, he soon realised that a knowledge of European art history or any awareness of an aesthetic consciousness concerning the fine and applied arts was sadly lacking within the general South African community and more specifically amongst the early Afrikaners. As a student, Mayer developed a keen interest in traditional German arts and crafts, which, according to him, contributed to the specific national Germanic character. This interest prompted him to conduct research and document examples of folk art among the Afrikaners as well as other indigenous communities, in an attempt to establish an aesthetic awareness in South Africans, and more specifically among Afrikaners. Mayer was of the opinion that the development and marketing of these cultural objects and artefacts would contribute towards a unique art identity with a strong South African national character. Apart from his interests in the fine and applied arts, Mayer also researched the vernacular architecture, furniture design and household articles of both Afrikaner pioneers and Africans. He travelled widely in South Africa, researching his interests and presented lectures on these themes which he published in newspapers and magazines in an effort to create an awareness of the rich indigenous folk art. / Hierdie proefskrif is 'n studie oor die bydrae van die Duits-Joodse kunstenaar Erich Mayer tot die vestiging van 'n estetiese bewussyn en die bevordering van 'n kunsidentiteit in Suid-Afrika tot aan die einde van die 1930's. Mayer is in 1876 in Duitsland gebore. Weens gesondheidsredes het hy hom in 1898 in Suid-Afrika gevestig waar hy veral met die Boerepioniers op die platteland geidentifiseer het em hom gou tuis gevoel het in die landelike milieu. Hierdie natuurlike toegeneentheid tot die vroee Afrikaners het aanleiding gegee tot sy later deelname aan die Anglo-Boereoorlog. Met sy grondige Europese agtergrond en opleiding aan verskillende kunsakademies in Berlyn en Stuttgart, het Mayer gou besef dat die Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskap in die algemeen, maar veral die vroee Afrikaners in die besonder, 'n algehele gebrek geopenbaar het aan enige Euopese kunshistoriese kennis of enige estetiese bewussyn oor die beeldende en toegepaste kunste. Mayer is vroeg reeds blootgestel aan en het besonder belanggestel in die kunshandwerk van die Duitsers wat deel uitgemaak het van eeue-oue Duitse tradisies en wat bygedra het tot die unieke nasionale volksaard van die Duitsers. Met hierdie belangstelling het Mayer stelselmatig begin om die unieke kunshandwerk van die Afrikanerpioniers te versamel. Hy het hier 'n geleentheid gesien om via voorbeelde van plaaslike kunshandwerk 'n estetiese bewussyn by die Suid-Afrikaans gemeenskap en meer spesifiek by die Afrikaner aan te wakker. Mayer was van mening dat die sinvolle ontwikkeling en bemarking van hierdie kulturele voorwerpe en ontwerpe daartoe sou kon bydra om 'n eie kunsidentiteit met sterk nasionale karakter in Suid-Afrika tot stand te bring. Wat die beeldende en toegepaste kunste betref, het Mayer 'n wye belangstellingsveld gehad en het hy ook omvattende navorsing oor die inheemse boukuns, meubelontwerpe en kunshandwerkartikels van die vroee Boerepioniers, asook oor die van die inheemse bevolkingsgroepe, onderneem. Hy het die land deurreis op soek na geskikte voorbeelde van kunshandwerkartikels, gereeld lesings aangebied en artikels gepubliseer, die alledaagse Boerelewe op die platteland visueel gedokumenteer en op die manier 'n besondere ryk nalatenskap daargestel. / History / D. Litt et Phil. (Geskiedenis)

This thesis is a biographical study of Erika Theron (1907-1990), an Afrikaner woman who played a significant role in many aspects of public life in South Africa in a critical time in the country‘s history. The study seeks to give recognition to her achievements, which have received scant attention in a historiography with a masculine bias. At the same time it examines her changing role from collaborator to critic of the apartheid system. Certain defining features of Theron‘s life have been highlighted. First, Theron grew up in a staunchly Afrikaner nationalist, service-oriented family which encouraged loyalty to her own people and civic responsibility. Second, she was unusual among Afrikaner women of her generation, in that she was highly educated, independent and ready to assume leadership roles. She became a pioneer in a number of fields, attaining high professional rank and holding important public offices – frequently as the first woman to do so in the country. The thesis focuses on five areas of Theron‘s public life. After returning from post-graduate studies abroad, she worked with Hendrik Verwoerd in the campaign to uplift poor whites, particularly the rehabilitation and re-integration of the Afrikaner poor. She thereafter commenced a long career as a social work academic, which included a number of milestones for her new discipline, for the profession of social work and for the advancement of women in academia. From the 1950s she served on the town council of Stellenbosch, including terms as deputy mayor and mayor. She played an important role in historic conservation but was also instrumental in the rigorous institution of apartheid structures in the town during the early days of National Party rule. In the early 1970s she served as chairman of the Commission of Enquiry into Coloured Affairs which influenced her personal views on the country‘s race policies. She became a public critic of many aspects of the apartheid system and vocal advocate for coloured rights. / History / D. Litt. et Phil. (History)

Text in Afrikaans with abstracts in Afrikaans, English and isiZulu / Hierdie studie van Afrikaanse tekste oor die Kongo (DRK) strek vanaf 1912 - toe DF Malan die eerste wit Afrikaner geword het wat ‘n reisbeskrywing oor sy besoek aan die Kongo gepubliseer het (Naar Congoland, 1913) - tot 2012 . Die navorsingsverslag ondersoek beeldvorming rondom die Kongo/(Midde-)Afrika in die korpus tekste wat opgespoor is, binne die breë teoretiese raamwerk van koloniale/postkoloniale studies, met toespitsing op “Africanism” en “Whiteness studies”. Daar is bevind dat beeldvorming in verband met die Kongo rondom twee hooftrope geskied: die Kongo as Conradiaanse “heart of darkness”, waar barbaarsheid in al sy geledinge hoogty vier; en die Kongo as “Eldorado” – die land wat as 15de-eeuse Afrika-koninkryk beskik het oor ‘n ontwikkelde beskawing en ongekende rykdom - lank voordat dit “ontdek” is deur Portugese seevaarders. Hierdie hooftrope en hul uitlopers funksioneer as ‘n kontinuum eerder as volstrekte teenoorgesteldes in die meeste Afrikaanse tekste oor die Kongo. Tekste van die koloniale era (tot die 1960’s in die Kongo) sluit aan by Eurosentriese diskoerse waarin die imperiale/koloniale tydgees weerspieël word, en tipies manifesteer in binêre opposisies (byvoorbeeld primitiwiteit versus beskawing) en trope soos “imperial eyes” (wit toeëiening van die koloniale ruimte). Malan se ideaal van ‘n Dietse invloedsfeer gebaseer op die taalverwantskap tussen Hollands/Afrikaans in Suid-Afrika, en Vlaams in die destydse Belgiese Kongo, herinner aan die ekspansionistiese ywer waarmee die Kaap-tot-Kaïro-droom van Britse imperialiste nagejaag is, maar blyk nouer verwant te wees aan die Afrikanernasionalistiese klem op die “taal as volk”. In postkoloniale tekste word die siening van die wit Afrikaner as ‘n nasaat van die geïdealiseerde Voortrekkers/Dorslandtrekkers toenemend gerelativeer deur tekste waarin die wit Afrikaner herverbeel word as “wit sangoma” of “Witboy in Afrika”; en wit vrese en vergrype word op skerp satiriese wyse aan die kaak gestel as die wrange erflating van die aartskolonialis, “Pappa in Afrika”. Die koloniale projek word in Equatoria as mislukking uitgebeeld, terwyl Horrelpoot ʼn distopiese verbastering van Afrikanerskap en Afrikaans in (Suid-)Afrika poneer. Witheid mag uiteindelik in Afrika uitgewis en vervang word met egte skakerings van aardsheid, of herdefinieer word in ʼn niehegemoniese verband (The Poisonwood Bible). Slegs die tyd sal leer. / This study of Afrikaans literary texts on the Congo (DRC) covers 100 years: 1912 – 2012. In 1912 DF Malan became the first white Afrikaner to travel to the Congo and publish a travelogue based on his travels (Naar Congoland, 1913). This thesis investigates the representation of the Congo/Central) Africa in the corpus of texts discovered, within the broad theoretical framework of colonial/postcolonial studies, and the paradigms of “Africanism” and “Whiteness Studies”. The Congo has been represented in terms of two main tropes: the Congo as the Conradian “heart of darkness”, the seat of utter savagery; and the Congo as “Eldorado” – the African kingdom that presided over a well-developed civilisation and untold wealth long before it was “discovered” by Portuguese explorers in the fifteenth century. These main tropes and their sub-tropes function in most Afrikaans texts on the Congo as a continuum and not in absolute contrast. Literary texts of the colonial era (up to the 1960’s) are characterised by Eurocentric discourses in which the imperial/colonial Zeitgeist typically manifests in binary oppositions (primitivism versus civilisation), and tropes like “imperial eyes” (white appropriation of colonial space). Malan’s dream of a Dutch sphere of influence - based on the affinity of Dutch/Flemish in the Congo with Dutch/Afrikaans in South Africa – and extending from Cape Town to the erstwhile Belgian Congo, is reminiscent of the expansionist fervour characterising the imperialist Cape-to-Cairo idea, but is based on the close link between language and nationhood in Afrikaner nationalism. In postcolonial texts the view of the white Afrikaner as ‘n descendant of the idealised Voortrekkers/Angolan trekkers is increasingly deconstructed by re-imagining the Afrikaner as a “white sangoma” or “whiteboy in Africa”, while white fright and guilt are revealed - in a sharply satirical fashion – as the bitter legacy of the white arch-colonialist “Pappa in Afrika”. The colonial project is portrayed as a disaster in Equatoria, while Horrelpoot poses a dystopic vision of the degeneration of Afrikanerdom and Afrikaans in (South) Africa. Whiteness may eventually be erased and replaced by authentic, earthy African colours, or be redefined within a non-hegemonic context (The Poisonwood Bible). Time alone will tell. / Lolu cwaningo olumayelana nemibhalo yesiBhunu ezincwadini zaseCongo (eDRC) lubheka isikhathi esingangeminyaka eyi-100: 1912 – 2012. Ngo-1912, uDF Malan waba yiBhunu lokuqala elimhlophe elaya eCongo laqopha umbiko omayelana nohambo lwakhe (Naar Congoland, 1913). Lo mbiko wocwaningo ucubungula indlela okwethulwa ngayo iCongo kanye nezinye izindawo eziMaphakathi Ne-Afrika eqoqweni lwemibhalo etholakale ohlakeni lwemibhalo eyimihlahlandlela emayelana nezifundo zangezikhathi zombuso wamakoloni/ nezikhathi zangemva kombuso wamakoloni, kanye nokuhleleka kwezifundo ngaBomdabu nangaBamhlophe. Izwe laseCongo lethulwa ngokufanekiswa ngezindlela ezimbili: ICongo njengesizinda sobumnyama (“heart of darkness”), nanjengesihlalo sobulwane bokungaphucuzeki (seat of utter savagery) njengoba kufanekisa umbhali uJoseph Conrad, kanti futhi ibuye ifanekiswe njengeCongo eyi-“Eldorado” – ubukhosi base-Afrika obabubusa endaweni ephucuzeke ngokuphelele nenothe ngendlela emangalisayo, ngaphambi kokuba itholwe ngabasingimazwe baMaputukezi ngekhuluminyaka leshumi-nanhlanu. Lokhu kufanekisa kanye nemifanekiso ehambisana nako evela emibhalweni eminingi engesiBhunu maqondana neCongo isetshenziswa ukuveza okubili okubonakala sengathi kuyefana yize kungafani kunoba ikuveze obala njengezinto ezingafani nhlobo. Imibhalo esezincwadini yangesikhathi sombuso wamakoloni (kuze kufinyelele esikhathini sangeminyaka ye-1960) iphawula kakhulu ngezindaba ezincike emasikweni nasemilandweni yamazwe aseYurophu nokuyilapho umoya wobukhosi obubusa ngaphezu kwamanye amakhosi/ nombuso wamakoloni uziveza njengokulindelekile ngezindlela ezimbili eziphikisanayo (ukubambelela endleleni yokwenza yasendulo kuqhathaniswa nempucuko), kanye nemifanekiso enjenge-“imperial eyes” (ukuzithathela kwabamhlophe umhlaba ezweni ababusa kulona okungelabanye abantu). Iphupho likaMalan lokuba kube nendawo eyenza ngokwemfundiso yamaDashi – okwakuncike ekuhlanganyeleni kwamaDashi/namaFlemishi eCongo kanye namaDashi/namaBhunu eNgingizimu Afrika – nokwakuzohamba kusuke eKapa kuze kufinyelele eCongo eyayaziwa ngokuthi yiBelgian Congo, kudala, ikhumbuzana uthando olukhulu lokwandisa indawo noma umnotho olwaluvela kumqondombono walabo abasekela umbuso wobukhosi bamazwe amaningi weCape-to-Cairo, kodwa-ke lokhu kwakuncike ekusondelaneni kolimi kanye nothando lobuzwe ebuzweni bamaBhunu. Emibhalweni yangemva kwesikhathi sombuso wamakoloni, ukuthathwa komuntu oyiBhunu elimhlophe njengoyisizukulwane saBafuduki (amaVoortrekker)/ saBafuduki base-Angola kuyaqhubeka nokuhlakazwa ngokudweba kabusha isithombe seBhunu emqondweni, liyi“sangoma esimhlophe” noma lingu“mfana omhlophe e-Afrika”, kodwa kube kugqama ukwesaba nokushawa ngunembeza – ngendlela ebhuqa kakhulu – njengegalelolifa elinganambitheki lomeseki wombuso wamakoloni oqavile u-“Papa in Afrika”. Umsebenzinhloso wezindaba eziphathelene nombuso wamakoloni uvezwa ngengowonakala wangaphumelela nhlobo ku-Equatoria, kanti uHorrelpoot yena uveza umbono wokuphela kobuBhunu kanye neSibhunu eNingizimu Afrika. Ubumhlophe bungagcina buphelile bese esikhundleni sako kungene imibala yoqobo ezothile esamvelo yomhlaba edabuka e-Afrika, kumbe buchazwe kabusha ngaphansi kwengqikithi engahambisani nokuphatha (The Poisonwood Bible). Sekobonakala phambili. / Afrikaans and Theory of Literature / D. Litt. et Phil. (Afrikaans)

Text in Afrikaans / This thesis entitled The contribution of Erich Mayer towards the establishment of an aesthetic consciousness and the promotion of an art identity in South Africa to the end of the 1930s, is a study of the ideas, ideals and contributions of the German-Jewish artist Erich Mayer concerning the establishment of a national art identity in South Africa. Mayer was born in Germany in 1876. Because of ill health he came to South Africa, where he settled in 1898 and developed an affinity with the Afrikaner pioneers in the rural areas. This natural connection with the Afrikaner pioneers was the main motivation behind his participation in the Anglo-Boer War. With his sound European background and training at various art academies in Berlin and Stuttgart, he soon realised that a knowledge of European art history or any awareness of an aesthetic consciousness concerning the fine and applied arts was sadly lacking within the general South African community and more specifically amongst the early Afrikaners. As a student, Mayer developed a keen interest in traditional German arts and crafts, which, according to him, contributed to the specific national Germanic character. This interest prompted him to conduct research and document examples of folk art among the Afrikaners as well as other indigenous communities, in an attempt to establish an aesthetic awareness in South Africans, and more specifically among Afrikaners. Mayer was of the opinion that the development and marketing of these cultural objects and artefacts would contribute towards a unique art identity with a strong South African national character. Apart from his interests in the fine and applied arts, Mayer also researched the vernacular architecture, furniture design and household articles of both Afrikaner pioneers and Africans. He travelled widely in South Africa, researching his interests and presented lectures on these themes which he published in newspapers and magazines in an effort to create an awareness of the rich indigenous folk art. / Hierdie proefskrif is 'n studie oor die bydrae van die Duits-Joodse kunstenaar Erich Mayer tot die vestiging van 'n estetiese bewussyn en die bevordering van 'n kunsidentiteit in Suid-Afrika tot aan die einde van die 1930's. Mayer is in 1876 in Duitsland gebore. Weens gesondheidsredes het hy hom in 1898 in Suid-Afrika gevestig waar hy veral met die Boerepioniers op die platteland geidentifiseer het em hom gou tuis gevoel het in die landelike milieu. Hierdie natuurlike toegeneentheid tot die vroee Afrikaners het aanleiding gegee tot sy later deelname aan die Anglo-Boereoorlog. Met sy grondige Europese agtergrond en opleiding aan verskillende kunsakademies in Berlyn en Stuttgart, het Mayer gou besef dat die Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskap in die algemeen, maar veral die vroee Afrikaners in die besonder, 'n algehele gebrek geopenbaar het aan enige Euopese kunshistoriese kennis of enige estetiese bewussyn oor die beeldende en toegepaste kunste. Mayer is vroeg reeds blootgestel aan en het besonder belanggestel in die kunshandwerk van die Duitsers wat deel uitgemaak het van eeue-oue Duitse tradisies en wat bygedra het tot die unieke nasionale volksaard van die Duitsers. Met hierdie belangstelling het Mayer stelselmatig begin om die unieke kunshandwerk van die Afrikanerpioniers te versamel. Hy het hier 'n geleentheid gesien om via voorbeelde van plaaslike kunshandwerk 'n estetiese bewussyn by die Suid-Afrikaans gemeenskap en meer spesifiek by die Afrikaner aan te wakker. Mayer was van mening dat die sinvolle ontwikkeling en bemarking van hierdie kulturele voorwerpe en ontwerpe daartoe sou kon bydra om 'n eie kunsidentiteit met sterk nasionale karakter in Suid-Afrika tot stand te bring. Wat die beeldende en toegepaste kunste betref, het Mayer 'n wye belangstellingsveld gehad en het hy ook omvattende navorsing oor die inheemse boukuns, meubelontwerpe en kunshandwerkartikels van die vroee Boerepioniers, asook oor die van die inheemse bevolkingsgroepe, onderneem. Hy het die land deurreis op soek na geskikte voorbeelde van kunshandwerkartikels, gereeld lesings aangebied en artikels gepubliseer, die alledaagse Boerelewe op die platteland visueel gedokumenteer en op die manier 'n besondere ryk nalatenskap daargestel. / History / D. Litt et Phil. (Geskiedenis)

This thesis is a biographical study of Erika Theron (1907-1990), an Afrikaner woman who played a significant role in many aspects of public life in South Africa in a critical time in the country‘s history. The study seeks to give recognition to her achievements, which have received scant attention in a historiography with a masculine bias. At the same time it examines her changing role from collaborator to critic of the apartheid system. Certain defining features of Theron‘s life have been highlighted. First, Theron grew up in a staunchly Afrikaner nationalist, service-oriented family which encouraged loyalty to her own people and civic responsibility. Second, she was unusual among Afrikaner women of her generation, in that she was highly educated, independent and ready to assume leadership roles. She became a pioneer in a number of fields, attaining high professional rank and holding important public offices – frequently as the first woman to do so in the country. The thesis focuses on five areas of Theron‘s public life. After returning from post-graduate studies abroad, she worked with Hendrik Verwoerd in the campaign to uplift poor whites, particularly the rehabilitation and re-integration of the Afrikaner poor. She thereafter commenced a long career as a social work academic, which included a number of milestones for her new discipline, for the profession of social work and for the advancement of women in academia. From the 1950s she served on the town council of Stellenbosch, including terms as deputy mayor and mayor. She played an important role in historic conservation but was also instrumental in the rigorous institution of apartheid structures in the town during the early days of National Party rule. In the early 1970s she served as chairman of the Commission of Enquiry into Coloured Affairs which influenced her personal views on the country‘s race policies. She became a public critic of many aspects of the apartheid system and vocal advocate for coloured rights. / History / D. Litt. et Phil. (History)

The problem statement mainly deals with the curtailment of the high function status of Afrikaans in South Africa since 1994 as this has a negative impact on the six million mother tongue speakers of Afrikaans as well as on non-mother tongue speakers for whom the language has an instrumental value. The question is raised as to whether myth making around Afrikaans can be held partly responsible for this loss in status. The term “myth” and the impact of myths are looked into. “Myth” is not used in this thesis as a “story without ground” (as in the dictionary definition), but, according to the work of Jung, Campbell, Leroux, Malan and others, as a story/narrative that gives voice to man’s search for meaning and significance. The main points of departure are: · The viewpoint of the well-known twentieth-century mythologist, Joseph Campbell, who states: “Myths are stories of our search through the ages for truth, for meaning, for significance (Campbell in Flowers 1988:5); and · The statement of Malan (1978:39) namely that myth has always been the way in which man has tried to explain the sense, significance and purpose of the cosmos by means of a simple narrative. Myth making within groups (Anderson 1991: “imagined communities”) is viewed and the role of of political myth making explicitly stated. In this regard the statement of Leonard Thompson is relevant. Thompson (1985:3) points to two kinds of myths, namely: 1) “conservative myths” (for example about the origins of a group); and 2) “radical myths” (that aim to discredit the regime of “the other”). In the discourse about myths around Afrikaans the point of departure is that the specific myth is regarded as positive or negative in terms of its impact on the status and position of Afrikaans in South Africa. The two “main” myths around Afrikaans are discussed by exemplification and by means of anecdotes and the impact of the said myths on Afrikaans is evaluated. The two myths are: · Afrikaans as mythical binding force in Afrikaner nationalism in (mainly) the first fifty years of the twentieth century; and · Afrikaans as metaphorical language of the oppressor, especially in the period of institutionalized apartheid. The impact of the above myths within various Afrikaans systems (among others the historiography and literature of Afrikaans and the school syllabi) is furthermore exemplified with the purpose of indicating how great this impact has been. Finally the question is asked: ”And now, Afrikaans?” (with acknowledgement to the title of a publication by Hans du Plessis, 1992: “En nou, Afrikaans?”). The conclusion is that the status of Afrikaans in the so-called high language functions is daily under more pressure as a result of the hegemony of English in the country. There should be rational and firm negotiations about this unconstitutional curtailment of the rights of Afrikaans. The speakers of Afrikaans can, however, help to preserve the language by: 1. Living with the myths around Afrikaans in the sense that they develop and demonstrate understanding and empathy for the myths of other groups; 2. Using Afrikaans daily for all functions, especially seeing that Afrikaans is indeed suitably developed to meet any need; and 3. Working towards new myth making around Afrikaans, by – among other things – pointing to the fact that Afrikaans, as a language of Africa, has a greater claim to national language status in South Africa than the international language, English. / Thesis (DLitt (Afrikaans))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Afrikaans / unrestricted

Thesis (DPhil (History))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLSIH ABSTRACT: This study is a political biography of D.F. Malan (1874–1959), the first of the apartheid-era Prime Ministers, and covers the years 1874 to 1954, when Malan retired from politics. It endeavours to provide a warts-and-all account of D.F. Malan which challenges prevalent myths and stereotypes surrounding his public persona and his political orientation. While the overwhelming focus is on Malan’s political career, special attention is paid to his personal life in order to paint a multi-faceted picture of his character. The biography is written in the form of a seamless narrative and employs a literary style of writing. It is based on archival research which utilised Malan’s private collection, as well as the private collections of his Nationalist contemporaries. Malan takes the centre stage at all times, as the biography focuses on his perceptions and experiences. Malan’s views regarding Afrikaner nationalism, which was his foremost political priority, are described, and are related to his views of British imperialism as well as other ideologies such as communism and totalitarianism. This study demonstrates that there is a notable link between Malan’s perceptions of race relations and his concerns about the poor white problem. It reveals that Malan’s racial policy was, to some extent, fluid, as were his views on South Africa’s constitutional position. Debates about South Africa’s links to Britain and the nature of the envisioned republic preoccupied Afrikaner nationalists throughout the first half of the twentieth century – and served as an outlet for regional and generational tensions within the movement. Malan’s clashes with nationalists such as Tielman Roos, J.B.M. Hertzog and J.G. Strijdom are highlighted as an indication of the internecine power struggles within the National Party (NP). By emphasising these complexities, this study seeks to contribute to a nuanced understanding of the South African past. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie is politieke biografie van D.F. Malan (1874–1959), die eerste van die apartheid-era Eerste Ministers, en dek die jare 1874 tot 1954, toe Malan uit die politiek getree het. Dit poog om onversuikerde beeld van Malan te skets wat heersende mites en stereotipes aangaande sy openbare beeld en sy benadering tot die politiek uitdaag. Die fokus is hoofsaaklik op Malan se politieke loopbaan, maar besondere aandag word aan sy private lewe geskenk om sodoende veelsydige portret van sy karakter te skilder. Die biografie is in die vorm van naatlose narratief geskryf en maak van literêre skryfstyl gebruik. Dit is gebaseer op argivale navorsing, waartydens daar van D.F. Malan se privaat versameling gebruik gemaak is, sowel as die privaat versamelings van sy tydgenote. Malan is ten alle tye die sentrale figuur en die biografie fokus op sy persepsies en ervarings. Malan se denke oor Afrikaner nasionalisme, wat sy vernaamste prioriteit was, word beskryf en in verband gebring met sy opinie van Britse imperialisme, sowel as ander ideologieë soos kommunisme en totalitarisme. Die studie wys op die verband tussen Malan se denke oor rasseverhoudinge en sy besorgdheid oor die armblanke vraagstuk. Dit dui daarop dat Malan se rassebeleid tot sekere mate vloeibaar was. Dit was ook die geval met sy benadering tot Suid-Afrika se konstitusionele posisie. Afrikaner nasionaliste het tydens die eerste helfte van die twintigste eeu baie aandag geskenk aan debatte oor Suid-Afrika se verhouding tot Brittanje en die aard van die voorgenome republiek. Dit was tot mate weerligafleier vir reeds bestaande spanning tussen die onderskeie streke en generasies. Malan se botsings met nasionaliste soos Tielman Roos, J.B.M. Hertzog en J.G. Strijdom word belig as aanduiding van die diepgewortelde magstryd binne die Nasionale Party (NP). Deur op hierdie kompleksiteite klem te lê, poog die studie om bydrae te lewer tot meer genuanseerde begrip van die Suid-Afrikaanse verlede.