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"It is not only the guilty who suffer" : exploring gender, power and moral politics through the contagious diseases acts in the Cape Colony, c1868-1885

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study deals with the build-up to, and resultant reactions against, regulating sexual
practices in the Cape Colony, especially the Contagious Diseases Acts in 1868 and 1885. The
focus will be on the existence of venereal disease as a colonial epidemic. The wider context
in terms of Britain, India, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia will also be taken into
account. The research is based on a theoretical framework made up of three components;
gender, power and moral politics. The role of gender will be looked at through the existence
of the double standard and the prostitute. Power and the existing relations between the
colonies and the colonisers will be looked at by addressing the issue of race, superiority and
the exportation of the colonial mindset. Moral politics will be analysed through the discussion
of purity campaigns, women’s role in society and the medical aspect of politics. Within this
thematic framework, the focus of the study will then move to the Cape Colony and the
existence of regularity practices there. This study seeks to establish the ways in which
regulation developed at the Cape and in doing so hopes to contribute to the existing historiography. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie fokus op die aanloop tot en die daaropvolgende reaksies ten opsigte van
regulatoriese sekspraktyke, waarvan die bekendste die Aansteeklike Siektes Wette van 1869
en 1885 was. Daar word na die bestaan van veneriese siekte as ‘n koloniale epidemie
gekyk. Die breër konteks van Brittanje, Indië, Hong Kong, Singapoer en Australië word ook
in ag geneem. Die navorsing is gebaseer op ‘n teoretiese raamwerk van drie komponente:
geslagtelikheid (“gender”) , mag en morele politiek. Die rol van geslagtelikheid word betrag
na gelang die bestaan van dubbele standaarde en die prostituut. Mag en die bestaande
verhoudinge tussen die koloniseerders en die wat gekoloniseer, word aangespreek deur te let
op die kwessie van ras, meerderwaardigheid en die toepassing van ‘n koloniale denkpatroon.
Morele politiek word ontleed deur te let op die bespreking van kuisheid kampanjes, vroue se
rol in die samelewing en die mediese aspekte van politiek. Binne hierdie teoretiese raamwerk
word die bestaan van regulatoriese praktyke in die Kaapkolonie bespreek. Die studie poog
om vas te stel op welke wyses regulatoriese praktyke in die Kaapkolonie ontwikkel het en sodoende word gepoog om ‘n bydrae tot die bestaande historiografie te maak.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/95934
Date12 1900
CreatorsBeukes, Danike Nanine
ContributorsGrundlingh, Albert M., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageUnknown
TypeThesis
Format149 p.
RightsStellenbosch University

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