This dissertation presents an investigation into the notion of the freak in the guise of exotic characters as these appear in the strange creature-figures in Jane Alexander’s (b. 1959) installation artwork African Adventure (1999-2002). The installation artwork reveals issues pertaining to the way in which the exotic nature of the freak is made manifest in its hybrid spatio-temporal nature, with reference also to the understanding that freaks are often presented as strange yet awesome consumer objects. Alexander’s view of art and her oeuvre are contextualised within the South African milieu which is characterised by change, and laced with utopian as well as dystopian sentiments. The interpretation of African Adventure is theoretically entrenched in certain key concepts: the freak, the exotic, and hybridity, as these are made manifest in the reading of the characters, time and place presented in the installation artwork as allegorical reflection of contemporary South African society. The exploration of the work’s spatio-temporal dimensions are guided by establishing a link between, on the one hand, the desire for experiencing the thrill of the unusual (both in terms of a perspective of a colonial safari as well as the contemporary tourist gaze) and, on the other hand, a number of problematic issues in contemporary South African society. I demonstrate that the South African landscape, people and most likely also history are regarded as exotic – with the freakish associations this implies – also because post-apartheid South Africa has the status of a rarity that can be experienced as an adventure landscape. I further demonstrate how the freak’s exotic figuration ironically reverses the experience of empowered looking, with reference here to the notion of spectacle. In a space where contradiction is exposed for contemplation, this ironic reversal in its hybrid embodiment is understood as a space of reconstitution. In this manner, the presumed notion of a stable South African collective is challenged; South African society comprising of so many hybrid identities is rather understood to be the sum of contestible information where the possibility of fragmented experiences of chaos and reconciliation can coexist. As such, cultural reconstitution and renewal are not based on the exoticism of multiculturalism, but on the articulation of a culture’s hybridity. / MA (History of Art), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This dissertation presents an investigation into the notion of the freak in the guise of exotic characters as these appear in the strange creature-figures in Jane Alexander’s (b. 1959) installation artwork African Adventure (1999-2002). The installation artwork reveals issues pertaining to the way in which the exotic nature of the freak is made manifest in its hybrid spatio-temporal nature, with reference also to the understanding that freaks are often presented as strange yet awesome consumer objects. Alexander’s view of art and her oeuvre are contextualised within the South African milieu which is characterised by change, and laced with utopian as well as dystopian sentiments. The interpretation of African Adventure is theoretically entrenched in certain key concepts: the freak, the exotic, and hybridity, as these are made manifest in the reading of the characters, time and place presented in the installation artwork as allegorical reflection of contemporary South African society. The exploration of the work’s spatio-temporal dimensions are guided by establishing a link between, on the one hand, the desire for experiencing the thrill of the unusual (both in terms of a perspective of a colonial safari as well as the contemporary tourist gaze) and, on the other hand, a number of problematic issues in contemporary South African society. I demonstrate that the South African landscape, people and most likely also history are regarded as exotic – with the freakish associations this implies – also because post-apartheid South Africa has the status of a rarity that can be experienced as an adventure landscape. I further demonstrate how the freak’s exotic figuration ironically reverses the experience of empowered looking, with reference here to the notion of spectacle. In a space where contradiction is exposed for contemplation, this ironic reversal in its hybrid embodiment is understood as a space of reconstitution. In this manner, the presumed notion of a stable South African collective is challenged; South African society comprising of so many hybrid identities is rather understood to be the sum of contestible information where the possibility of fragmented experiences of chaos and reconciliation can coexist. As such, cultural reconstitution and renewal are not based on the exoticism of multiculturalism, but on the articulation of a culture’s hybridity. / MA (History of Art), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This dissertation presents an investigation into the identity transformation of the character of Wikus van der Merwe, the protagonist of the film District 9 (2009), from a postcolonial perspective. In the first instance, I argue that the film can be regarded as an allegory of the apartheid era in South Africa, and that the marginalised aliens in the film can therefore be seen as metaphorically representing the suppressed races of the apartheid era. The humans and aliens in the film are initially represented as binary opposites of each other: the humans are positioned as the normative in-group diametrically opposite the aliens, who are regarded as the non-normative out-group. In its ideological context, apartheid can also be understood as a type of colonialism. Like those who were marginalised by colonial practices, the aliens in the film are regarded as the other, mainly because of their physical, corporeal otherness. In the film Wikus experiences a bodily as well as an emotional transformation - and thus also an identity transformation – from a normative, Afrikaans-speaking white male (the self) into a non-normative and strange-looking alien (other) – with reference here to how normativity and otherness were conceptualised in the context of apartheid. Consequently, Wikus’ metamorphosis results in a hybrid figure, which demonstrates that the boundaries between self and other are permeable. Wikus’ unique identity as both self and other, as well as his increased self-awareness, illustrates his new identity position in an in-between space in which the self and other can be both, ironically, accommodated and destabilised. This dissertation demonstrates how the notion of hybridity (which is a key concept in postcolonial discourse) in the film works to destabilise the discourse of the self and other, and in this way hints at the possibility of a broader identity platform where all identities are validated. / M.A. (Graphic Design), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This dissertation presents an investigation into the identity transformation of the character of Wikus van der Merwe, the protagonist of the film District 9 (2009), from a postcolonial perspective. In the first instance, I argue that the film can be regarded as an allegory of the apartheid era in South Africa, and that the marginalised aliens in the film can therefore be seen as metaphorically representing the suppressed races of the apartheid era. The humans and aliens in the film are initially represented as binary opposites of each other: the humans are positioned as the normative in-group diametrically opposite the aliens, who are regarded as the non-normative out-group. In its ideological context, apartheid can also be understood as a type of colonialism. Like those who were marginalised by colonial practices, the aliens in the film are regarded as the other, mainly because of their physical, corporeal otherness. In the film Wikus experiences a bodily as well as an emotional transformation - and thus also an identity transformation – from a normative, Afrikaans-speaking white male (the self) into a non-normative and strange-looking alien (other) – with reference here to how normativity and otherness were conceptualised in the context of apartheid. Consequently, Wikus’ metamorphosis results in a hybrid figure, which demonstrates that the boundaries between self and other are permeable. Wikus’ unique identity as both self and other, as well as his increased self-awareness, illustrates his new identity position in an in-between space in which the self and other can be both, ironically, accommodated and destabilised. This dissertation demonstrates how the notion of hybridity (which is a key concept in postcolonial discourse) in the film works to destabilise the discourse of the self and other, and in this way hints at the possibility of a broader identity platform where all identities are validated. / M.A. (Graphic Design), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Text in English with abstracts in English, Afrikaans and Setswana. Translated titles in Afrikaans and Setswana supplied / Dataset link: https://doi.org/10.25399/UnisaData.14101913.v1 / The gap between diverse cultures living in a globalized world is not intransigent nor unassumingly flexible. This space is an arena of dissimilarities and correlations, which result in interactions that incite unusual expectations. ‘Cultural hybridity’ is clearly mirrored within contemporary society. New methods and approaches are required to comprehend the lived experiences of escalating displacement. This research traces the trajectory of migration, identity, self and other from the point of view of contemporary diasporic artists. Notions of ethnicity, authenticity, identity, transnationality, singularity and duality are debated against the backdrop of the creative practices of Anish Kapoor and Yinka Shonibare. Informed by Homi K. Bhabha’s concept of the third space, and also theories of hermeneutic translation by Georg Gadamer and Paul Ricoeur, this dissertation creatively and critically investigates the ambiguities and ambivalences in this field of inquiry. / Die gaping tussen uiteenlopende kulture wat in ’n geglobaliseerde wêreld woon, is nóg onversetlik nóg pretensieloos veerkragtig. Hierdie ruimte is ’n arena van ongelykhede en korrelasies wat lei tot interaksies wat ongewone verwagtings ontketen. “Kulturele hibridisme” word duidelik in die eietydse samelewing weerspieël. Nuwe metodes en benaderings word vereis om die werklike ervarings van toenemende ontheemding te verstaan. Hierdie navorsing spoor die trajektorie van migrasie, identiteit, self en ander vanuit die oogpunt van eietydse diasporiese kunstenaars na. Idees rondom etnisiteit, egtheid, identiteit, transnasionaliteit, enkelvoudigheid en tweevoudigheid word teen die agtergrond van die kreatiewe praktyke van Anish Kapoor en Yinka Shonibare bespreek. Hierdie verhandeling, wat geïnspireer is deur Homi K. Bhabha se konsep van die derde ruimte, asook teorieë van hermeneutiese verplasing deur Georg Gadamer en Paul Ricoeur, ondersoek op ’n kreatiewe en kritiese wyse die dubbelsinnighede en teenstrydighede in hierdie ondersoekveld. / Sekgala magareng ga ditso tse di farologaneng tse di tshelang mo lefatsheng le le susumetsanang ga se a tsepama le mme ga se obege bonolo. Sebaka seno ke serala sa dipharologano le dikamano tse di lebisang kwa dikgolaganong tse di tlhosetsang ditsholofelo tse di sa tlwaelegang. Tota 'motswako wa setso' o bonala sentle mo setšhabeng sa sešweng. Go tlhokega mekgwa le selebo se sentšhwa go tlhaloganya maitemogelo a phuduso e e oketsegang. Patlisiso eno e lebelela motlhala wa bofudugedi, boitshupo, jwa sebele le jo bongwe go tswa mo mogopolong wa batsweretshi ba sešweng go tswa mo mafelong a bofudugedi (diaspora) Go ganetsanwa ka megopolo ya lotso, boammaaruri, boitshupo, boditšhaba, bongwefela le bobedi go lebeletswe ntlha ya ditiragatso tsa boitlhamedi tsa ga Anish Kapoor le Yinka Shonibare. Thesisi eno e e theilweng mo mogopolong wa ga Homi K. Bhabha wa sebaka sa boraro, le ditiori tsa saense ya boranodi ka Georg Gadamer le Paul Ricoeur, e batlisisa ka boitlhamedi le ka tshekatsheko, ketsaetsego e e mo lephateng leno la dipatlisiso. / Art History, Visual Arts and Musicology / M.A. (Visual Arts)

Text in English with abstracts and keywords in English, Afrikaans and Zulu / Beyond the African boundaries, the black body is marked with an othered identity that often leaves its bearer open to discrimination. Being black is considered a transgression because, presumably, it constitutes deviance from a particular skin pigmentation, spatial norm and cultural practice. This dissertation examines the depiction of people of colour, particularly blacks, as transgressive bodies and invaders of space. From a postcolonial perspective, it investigates the racial implications of blackness by reason of migration. This study draws on a critical analysis of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah (2013) and Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime (2016) to investigate the intersection of identity, race and spatial zones as thematic concerns in both texts. I contend that despite the fact that race is a social construct, it continually has an impact on the individual living of blacks in the space they inhabit or where they exist. They are burdened by the negativities generated by their colour, consequently perceiving themselves as deviants from the norm. Unlike Adichie’s other novels, the theme of migration is more profound in Americanah to reflect the intense consequences of race for African migrants in the western world. Therefore, I seek to establish that the stereotyping of Africans owing to their racial and cultural differences forces them to alter their identity in order to be recognised and accepted. In the same regard, the study projects Trevor Noah’s holistic representation of displacement both within self and community. More insightful is the writer’s engagement of body politics as a propeller for socio-economic issues. These issues explored in both texts ultimately present a (re)imagining of people of colour within the othered zones. / Buite die Afrikagrense word die swart liggaam gemerk met 'n gemarginaliseerde (“anderste”) identiteit wat die draer dikwels ooplaat vir diskriminasie. Swartwees word as 'n oortreding beskou, want dit is vermoedelik 'n afwyking van 'n bepaalde velpigmentasie, ruimtelike norm en kulturele praktyk. Hierdie verhandeling ondersoek die uitbeelding van mense van kleur, veral swart mense, as oortredende liggame en indringers van die ruimte. Vanuit 'n postkoloniale perspektief ondersoek dit die rasse-implikasies van swartheid as gevolg van migrasie. Hierdie studie neem as uitgangspunt die kritiese analise van Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie se Americanah (2013) en Trevor Noah se Born a Crime (2016) om die interseksie van identiteit, ras en ruimtelike sones as tematiek in albei tekste te ondersoek. Ek beweer dat, ondanks die feit dat ras 'n sosiale konstruk is, dit voortdurend 'n impak het op die individuele leefwyse van swart mense in die ruimte waarin hulle woon of waar hulle bestaan. Gevolglik word hulle belemmer deur negatiewe aspekte wat deur hul kleur gegenereer word, en hulself gevolglik as afwykers van die norm beskou. Anders as haar ander romans, is Adichie se migrasieprobleme meer diepgaande in Americanah om die intense gevolge van rassekwessies vir Afrika-migrante in die Westerse wêreld te weerspieël. Daarom wil ek vasstel dat die stereotipering van Afrikane weens hul rasse- en kulturele verskille hulle dwing om hul identiteit te verander om erken en aanvaar te word. In dieselfde verband projekteer die studie Trevor Noah se holistiese voorstelling van verplasing binne die self en die gemeenskap. Meer insiggewend is die skrywer se betrokkenheid by liggaamspolitiek as 'n voorstuwer vir sosio-ekonomiese kwessies. Hierdie kwessies, wat in albei tekste ondersoek word, bied uiteindelik 'n (her)verbeelding van mense van kleur binne die “ander” sones. / Nangaphandle kwemingcele ye-Afrika, imizimba yabantu abamnyama imakwe ngobuzazisi babanye, lokhu okuvama ukushiya lowo walowo mzimba omnyama esesimweni sokubandlululwa. Ukuba mnyama kuthathwa njengento eyisono neyeqe umngcele omukelekile ngoba, kuvanyiswe ukuthathwa njengokwehlukile kwibala elithile lesikhumba, indawo evamile kanye nezinkambiso zamasiko. Le dissertation ihlola ukuthathwa kwabantu abanebala, ikakhulukazi elimnyama, njengemizimba ewukweqa okuhle nokwamukelekile kanye neyabahlasela indawo. Ukusuka kwimibono yenkathi engemuva kobukoloni, iphenya ngemiphumela yombono webala elimnyama ngenxa yokuya kwamanye amazwe. Ucwaningo luthathela kuhlaziyo olunzulu lwemibhalo kaChinamanda Ngozi Adichie ye-Americanah (2013) kanye ne-Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime (2016) ukuphenya ngokuxhumana kobuzazisi, ukubuka izinto ngeso lebala kanye nezindawo njengezinto eziyizihloko zemibhalo. Ngibeka elokuthi noma udaba lwebala kuyinto eyenziwe ngabantu, kodwa inomphumela kumuntu ophila njengomuntu omnyama, ohlala endaweni ahlala kuyo noma lapho akhona. Ngenxa yalokho-ke, bathwele umthwalo omubi ngenxa yebala labo, ngalokho bazibona njengabahlukile kokujwayelekile nokufanele. Ngokwehluka namanye amanoveli, ukukhathazeka ngokuya kwamanye amazwe kubonakala kakhulu kwi-Americanah ukubheka kanzulu ngemiphumela ejulile yokubuka izinto ngokwebala kubantu ababuya eAfrika abaya kumazwe asentshonalanga. Ngakho ke, ngifuna ukuqaphela indlela abantu abangama-Afrika ababonwa ngayo ngendlela ethile embi nemi ndawonye (stereotyping) ngenxa yomehluko wabo ngokubona izinto ngokwebala kanye nomehluko ngokwezamasiko, ukushintsha ubuzazi babo ukuze bamukelwe nokumukeleka. Ngale ndlela, ucwaningo lubhekisa kwindlela ephelele kaTrevor Noah, yokuzibona eqhelilee nokwehluka ngobuyena ngaphakathi kuye kanye nasemphakathini. Ngokubona izinto ngeso elijulile ngokubheka ezepolitiki kombhali njengesisunduzi kwizinto ezibhekene nabantu kanye nezomnotho. Lezi zinto zicwaninga ngokombhalo kanye nokubeka kabusha ngombono nendlela entsha abantu bebala, emkhakheni wabanye. / Afrikaans and Theory of Literature / M.A. (Theory of Literature)