Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Technology: Fine Art, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / The purpose of this research was to investigate the interrogation of Afrikaner culture and identity in the work of Andries Botha (1952) and Marlene de Beer (1957) in the context of Afrikaner nationalism. Anthony Smith’s theory of ethno symbolism (2010) and writings on nationalism by Montserrat Gibernau (1996, 2004a, 2000b) are used as a theoretical framework for an analysis of Afrikaner culture and identity, in the form of Afrikaner nationalism. A qualitative research methodology was used, within an art historical, theoretical and practice led investigation into the interrogation of Afrikaner culture and identity. A reflective approach clarified and made meaningful concepts which relate to both my theoretical and practical work, which are interlinked. De Beer makes use of cultural symbols, in interrogating the position of the female in Afrikaner identity and culture, in the context of South African history. Botha interrogates masculinity and patriarchy in Afrikaner culture and identity through a reference to his father and events and imagery from South African history. A personal exploration of Afrikaner culture and identity, in the context of my family history and life experiences, reveals a persistent questioning of Afrikaner culture and identity, resulting in the formation of an individual identity. Arising from this research, it is evident that there is a need for further research into the possible formation of a multicultural identity post 1994 in South Africa. / M

The study critically examines public art in postcolonial Zimbabwe‘s cities of Harare and Bulawayo. In a case by case approach, I analyse the National Heroes Acre and Old Bulawayo monuments, and three contemporary sculptures – Dominic Benhura‘s Leapfrog (1993) and Adam Madebe‘s Ploughman (1987) and Looking into the future (1985). I used a qualitative research methodology to collect and analyse data. My research design utilised in-depth interviews, observation, content and document analysis, and photography to gather nuanced data and these methods ensured that data collected is validated and/or triangulated. I argue that in Zimbabwe, monuments and public sculpture serve as the necessary interface of the visual, cultural and political discourse of a postcolonial nation that is constantly in transition and dialogue with the everyday realities of trying to understand and construct a national identity from a nest of sub-cultures. I further argue that monuments and public sculpture in Zimbabwe abound with political imperatives given that, as visual artefacts that interlace with ritual performance, they are conscious creations of society and are therefore constitutive of that society‘s heritage and social memory. Since independence in 1980, monuments and public sculpture have helped to open up discursive space and dialogue on national issues and myths. Such discursive spaces and dialogues, I also argue, have been particularly animated from the late 1990s to the present, a period in which the nation has engaged in self-introspection in the face of socio-political change and challenges in the continual process of imagining the Zimbabwean nation. Little research focusing on postcolonial public art in Zimbabwe has hitherto been undertaken. This study addresses gaps in this literature while also providing a spring board from which future studies may emerge. / Microsoft� Word 2010 / Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in