M.A. (Anthropology) / The life conditions of the members of the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa in the rural settlement in Gazankulu are determined by a combination of processes, related to various historic events. Political and economic aims of the government formulated in a policy of separate development, led to the formation of the Gazankulu 'homeland'. The Dutch Reformed Church supported the ideology of the government and applied the same dividing principles in its missionary work. These principles contributed to the limited extend to which the missionary understood the conditions of their church members. Their efforts to address these conditions instead perpetuated the very conditions. Characteristic of the daily life of the church members was the focus of the daily activities on basic needs. The availability of and access to resources dominated these activities. The scarcity of these resources created an atmosphere of competition in the settlement which often manifested in confrontation and conflict. Life in the settlement was dominated by economic processes and social life also often had economic meaning. In spite of the daily hardships, the inhabitants were socially accommodating. The mission was not able to address these realities through their social responsibility projects. Membership of the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa had meaning in as far as the church could contribute to the satisfaction of their daily needs. Church membership in the settlement served as a means to strengthen kinship ties which were fading away in a competitive environment
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:10634 |
| Date | 14 April 2014 |
| Creators | Snijder, Frank |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Johannesburg |
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