Thesis (MA (Afrikaans and Dutch))—University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / This study investigates the way in which the representation of history and of the "other" coheres with the construction of the identity of the characters in Eilande (2002) by Dan Sleigh and Pelican Bay (2002) by Nelleke Noordervliet. Initially the research contextualises the authors and their novels by means of a short biographical introduction on the two authors and their different oeuvre’s, as well as an outline of the reception history of the two chosen postcolonial novels. The theoretical background which follows, gives a review on postcolonial literature in general and, more specific, in the Netherlands and South Africa respectively. Different perspectives on representation of the history and the representation of the "other" are provided, with specific attention to the relationship between hybridity, syncretism and identity. These theoretical insights form the basis for the analysis of the two novels, where the relationships and differences between these two postcolonial texts are highlighted. The conclusion is that Eilande and Pelican Bay could be seen as, firstly postcolonial, as both novels provide criticism on the colonial order in different ways and, secondly, were published during a period which followed the colonial era. Hybridity is an important term in this study, with reference to the forming of identity of some of the prominent characters. The conclusion is that the term dynamic cultural hybridity could be used in discussions about postcolonial mixed identities. Although both novels use techniques to give a voice to voiceless marginal subjects, shortcomings in their portrayal as fully-fledged characters do, however, exist. Both novels also have as an ultimate objective to prove that it is impossible to know history and the "other" and that no one truth exists. The motif of islands which appears frequently in both novels is related to aspects like identity, exile and alienation. In conclusion it is not only apparent how strongly the different characters in the novels are formed by their socio-historical contexts, but also from the approach of the authors in their contemporary criticism on oppressing systems like the VOC and/or slavery.

AFRIKAANS : Verstedeliking is ’n verskynsel wat sowel Afrikaners as swart mense in die twintigste eeu in Suid-Afrika geaffekteer het. In sommige opsigte was die traumatiese effek van hierdie gebeure vergelykbaar vir die twee groepe, maar in andere was dit ’n heel ander werklikheid vir Afrikaners om die platteland vir die stad te verruil as vir swart mense. Daar bestaan weinig studies wat ’n gesamentlike blik op die verstedeliking van die twee groepe werp. Hierdie studie doen juis dit deur die representasie in literêre tekste van die stad en die stadslewe deur Afrikaners en swart mense te ondersoek. Die welbekende stad/plattelandopposisie word verken, maar met die klem op die stad soos wat dit in literêre tekste gerepresenteer word. Die term “cultuurtekst” word in hierdie bestudering van representasie aangewend. Die term word deur Maaike Meijer gebruik vir die verskynsel waar bepaalde wyses van representasie rondom ’n onderwerp voortdurend herhaal. Die cultuurtekst is dus ’n denkbeeldige ‘teks’ wat bestaan uit verstarde kodes van representasie (of kulturele skemas, soos wat sy dit ook noem) wat steeds weer in individuele tekste herhaal word. Die doel van die studie is om die bestaan van kultuurtekste oor die verstedeliking van Afrikaners en swart mense aan te toon. Literêre tekste in Afrikaans word bestudeer om ’n stel kulturele skemas te identifiseer wat oor ’n verskeidenheid tekste aangetref word, wat aandui dat ’n kultuurteks oor Afrikanerverstedeliking in hierdie tekste herhaal word. Dieselfde werkwyse word betreffende swart verstedeliking gevolg: Engelse en Zulutekste word bestudeer om bewys te lewer van ’n kultuurteks oor verstedeliking. Laastens word hierdie kultuurtekste oor verstedeliking met mekaar vergelyk, aangesien bepaalde feite rondom Afrikaner/swart verstedeliking pas duidelik word wanneer ’n vergelykende benadering gevolg word. Deur hierdie vergelyking word gevolgtrekkings ENGLISH : Urbanization is a phenomenon that affected both Afrikaners and black people in twentieth century South Africa. In some respects the traumatic effect of these events are comparable for the two groups, but in others the experience of leaving the country for the city was a very different reality for Afrikaners and black people. Few studies have taken a simultaneous look at the urbanization undergone by the two groups. This study does this by investigating the representation in literary texts of the city and city life as experienced by black people and Afrikaners. The well-known opposition of city/country is explored, but with the emphasis on the city as it is represented in literary texts. In studying this representation, the term “cultuurtekst” (cultural text) is employed. The term is used by Maaike Meijer to describe the phenomenon of certain ways of representation around a specific topic being constantly repeated. The cultuurtekst is thus an imaginary ‘text’ consisting of fixed codes of representation (cultural schemes, as she also calls them) that we find being echoed anew in individual texts. The aim of the study is to prove the existence of such a cultuurtekst pertaining to the urbanization of both black people and Afrikaners. In order to achieve this, literary texts in Afrikaans are studied to identify a set of cultural schemes that are found across a variety of texts, thus indicating that a cultuurtekst about Afrikaner urbanization is being repeated in these texts. The same procedure is followed concerning black urbanization: English and Zulu texts are studied to establish evidence of a cultuurtekst about urbanization. Finally, these cultural texts about urbanization are compared with one another, seeing that certain facts about Afrikaner/black urbanization only become truly clear when a comparative approach is followed. From this comparison conclusions are drawn about the similar and different experiences of urbanization and city life for Afrikaners and black people. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Afrikaans / unrestricted