Department of History

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The Department of History is one of the leading History departments in South Africa. Areas of specialization in the Department are women and gender studies, public history, visual history, land and agrarian history, liberation history, urban history, African history, and teacher education.

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A People's History of South Africa: Gold and Workers
(University of the Western Cape, 1980) Callinicos, Luli; Kirkwood, Mike
In black societies, 'cattle were used for religious ceremonies and also for lobola, which was an important part of the economy. Lobola. was an exchange of cattle for a fruitful marriage. If the This volume is the first in wife proved infertile, her family would be obliged to give in marriage a second daughter. Lobola also enabled the bride's brothers in turn to afford the lobola for marriage and children themselves. Lobola circulated wealth and helped to build up the population and labour power of the family. A man's wealth and power were therefore measured by his cattle. Because of people's close ties to the land. in subsistence society, it was important to have enough labour to work it. More labour produced more food. This labour came from the family. Families in subsistence societies were large they usually consisted of the father, his wives and children, plus any unmarried relatives who might be needing a home. The members of the family worked together to produce their basic needs. They shared many of the daily tasks. At the same time, each member of the family had his or her own job. The women would usually grow the food and prepare it. They also raised the children. The older girls helped the adult women in their tasks. The men hunted and supervised the older boys, training them to look after the animals. In time, a man became the head of a family, with a duty to protect it in times of danger.
The journey to Wankie: a biography of James April
(University of the Western Cape, 1990) Van Driel, Nicole; Hendricks, John
James April, [hereafter referred to as April] was a member of the ANC's military wing Umkhonto we Sizwe [otherwise referred to as MK. What might have seemed unusual to the court that day, and to many onlookers, was the fact that he was a "Cape Coloured" man espousing his allegiance to the ANC and praising it as" ... the spirit of the African people". April and Basil February Chis close friend and comrade] were among the first non-African people to join MK thereby recognising the common destiny of all black people. In part,to tell April's [and Basil February's] story is to explore from an individual perspective the capacity and ability of people to overcome their socialisation, and to rise above conformity and social restrictions. Most of all, April's story is of an activist whose political involvement led him to realise the inevitability and necessity of armed struggle. Furthermore, it is the story of the commitment of his life to this very armed struggle.
"Have we no right to organise?" Black political organisations and farmworkers struggles in the Western Cape: 1912 - 1930
(University of the Western Cape, 1991) Taft, Trevor; Keegan, T
This study is primarily a history of black political organisations and their attempts to organise farmworkers in the rural Western Cape (1912 1930) with special reference to the Boland. The attempts made by these organisations to organise farmworkers in the Boland between 19:2 1930 raises a number of important issues which will be addressed in this study. Firstly, there is the issue to what extent capitalist agriculture existed in this area before and during the period under observation. On a general level there is a question to what extent capitalist relations of production existed in the agricultural production in the Boland. This would clearly have an effect on organisations attempting to organise farmworkers as well as the nature and form farmworkers struggles would develop into. Secondly, it is clear that the attempts at organisation the ANC(WC) was more successful than the A.P.O. and the I.C.U. put together. This raises a whole series of issues concerning the nature and form of these organisations, for example the strategies and organisational methods that were used, the issues that were addressed and the discourse and ideology of the A.P.O., I.C.U. and ANC(WC). Lastly, an attempt is made at evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the three organisations under consideration with a view to draw important lessons from these struggles for the organising of farmworkers in the future.
�n Histories-kritiese ondersoek na diei armoede-vraagstuk onder die gekleurde gemeenskap van Kaapstad 1910-1933
(University of Western Cape, 1993) Van der Ventel, Izak Jacobus; De Jongh, P.S
Hierdie verhandeling is die vrug van intensiewe nadenke en navorsing oor die armoedesituasie van gekleurdes van Kaapstad gedurende die jare 1910-1933. Die tydperk is gekies omdat dit besonderlik die teelaarde vir armoede was en vername gebeure soos die Eerste W�reldoorlog (1914-1919), die Groot Griepepidemie (1918). die Groot Droogte (1930) en die Depressies van 1920-1922 en 1930-1932 (Groot Depressie). Dit is egter me't "n historiese aanloop (1652-1909) voorafgegaan om die grondslag van die betrokke mense se voorsate se armoede sowel as di� van hulself deeglik uit te lig en op skrif te stel. Die gekleurde gemeenskap is as onderwerp gekies omdat die meeste gekleurdes in Kaapstad saamgetrek was. Hul regstreekse voorsate, die inheemse Khoi-khoi was reeds van die begin van die wit nedersetting in die omgewing van die Kaap woonagtig. Hulle was in di� vroe� stadium welvarend; gemeet aan destydse standaarde. maar is spoedig tot 'n verarmde. besitlose proletariaat gereduseer. Dit is deur die slinkse handels- en geweldsmetodes van die Europese nedersetters veroorsaak. Dit het die basis van die armoedeerfenis van hul nasate die Kaapse gekleurdes gevorm. Die Khoikhoi het met verloop van tyd 'n metamorfose ondergaan deur ondertrouery met ingevoerde slawe en van die nedersetters. Daaruit is 'n bepaalde groep gebore en ontwikkel wat mettertyd met die benaming "Kaapse gekleurdes" ge�tiketteer sou word.
Popular history in South Africa in the 198Os: the politics of production
(University of the Western Cape, 1994) Rousseau, Nicky; Minkley, Gary; Witz, Lesley
Popular history, like indeed other histories, is informed by different ideas about the relationship between the past, the present and the political uses of history. However, a major problem in trying to explore these ideas as they developed in South Africa in the period under review, is that they remain for the large part embedded in popular history texts. A consistent and conscious theorisation has not been much evident - at least not at a published level. The triennial conferences of the WHW are thus perhaps unique in the opportunity they accorded to projects to reflect on their experiences and more generally to raise issues and debates relating to popularisation. At the same time, and perhaps precisely because it was one of the few arena6 where such reflection was happening, the relative paucity of research to emerge from these quarters is particularly regrettable. while not all would agree with Crais' assertion that the programmatic separation of the popularisation section2 from the mainstream academic one resulted in "exclusionary practices"3, it does seem undeniable that they enjoyed a different and lesser status.
Social welfare policy for a post-apartheid South Africa: A developmental perspective
(University of the Western Cape, 1995) Kotze, Frans Gabri�l; Redlinghuis, A.C.
This research project, in which social welfare constitutes the central focus of study, is undertaken within the broad field of development studies. The basic concern of the study is to determine the role and the place of social welfare in a post-apartheid South Africa. The study therefore seeks to produce some of the policy-making knowledge and a framework for formulating alternative social policies. With the emergence of the post-apartheid South Africa, social welfare as a system, and social policy in particular, finds itself at a water-shed. For many years social welfare has been practised on a racially-differentiated basis. Social policies were firmly rooted in the prevailing political ideology of apartheid. During its formal inception in the 193Q's, the primary objective of social welfare was to solve the Poor White problem. Currently we have reached a critical turning point in the history of our country. The establishment of an inclusive democracy should have a direct impact on the welfare of all citizens. In this new context we have to deal with mass poverty - the basic human needs of many South Africans not being met - and extreme inequalities. Meanwhile we are saddled with different models of welfare based on the fragmented social policies of the past. Various themes pertaining to social welfare are examined with the view to proposing some solutions to the dilemma. Theories of development constitute the frame of reference for the analysis and development of alternative social policies. Applying these theoretical foundations, a special study is made of the emergence and structuring of social welfare in South Africa. In an empirical study the views of stakeholders in the field are gathered using qualitative methodology. Theories of development, the Reconstruction and Development Programme, the idea of social welfare as a system to meet human needs, and the views of stakeholders, form the basis for the development of alternative social policies in the post-apartheid South Africa. Using this conceptual framework and analysis of contemporary realities, certain policy proposals are examined for their appropriateness to address post-apartheid challenges. The study demonstrates that a paradigm shift is absolutely necessary in order to deal with emerging realities in South Africa. This paradigm shift entails that social welfare adopt a developmental approach within an integrated policy framework.
The function of marked word order in Biblical Hebrew prose: An evaluation of existing theories in the light of 2 Kings.
(University of the Western Cape, 1996) Jackson, Leolyn M.; Van der Merwe, C.H. J.
This thesis .investigates the function of a topicalized constituent .in the narrative non-direct speech texts .in 2 Kings. Many traditional BH grammarians described the :function of a topicalized constituent as "emphasis". Recent BH grammarians pointed out that extralinguistic factors like the total communicative context should also be considered in the description of a function for a topicalized constituent. The shift from the structural to a more pragmatic approach is illustrated in this study. The pragmatic approach proved to be not only possible, but also advantageous to the study of function in BH. The aim of this study was to test the viability and results of the various theories and categories of the BH linguists. This study also researched whether their linguistic approaches are indeed an improvement on the descriptions as defined by the traditional grammarians. In other words, to see whether and in which way more recent studies of BH could aid the understanding of the function of a topicalized constituent in BH word order. The methodology utilized in this study is briefly outlined as follows: 1. This study examined the description of word order in terms of the traditional and more recent approaches. The categories used to describe the function of a topicalized constituent were our main focus. At the end we compiled a theoretical frame of reference that we regard as representative of modem attempts to acquire a more refined comprehension of BH word order. A theoretical linguistic framework was formulated which could be used in our description of a sentence in BH in 2 � Kings. This attempt could be described as eclectic because it used the diverse perceptions from the various linguistic approaches. Richter's theoretical linguistic framework (with its limitations) together with contributions of Van der Merwe, Buth and Gross were used as a basis for the description of the sentences. 3. Sentences were analysed systematically and holistically at the different levels of description, namely morphology, morphosyntax, sentence syntax, semantics and pragmatics. Because of the difficulty in defining semantics and with pragmatics still in disarray, this study defined some semantic-pragmatic concepts it worked with. 4. In the description of sentences we incorporated and tested the viability of the different categories of various grammarians. By carefully considering the context of each sentence, this study posed the question: which, if any; of the categories could adequately describe the semantic-pragmatic function of a topicalized constituent in 2 Kings.
Gender politics and problems in Southern Africa: KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland and Namibia in the post-colonial/apartheid era.
(University of Western Cape, 1997) Mngomezulu, Bhekithemba Richard; Hayes, Patricia
The study of gender is crucial for the achievement and sustainability of the democratic ethos in Southern Africa. The substantial�literature in this field attests� to this notion1 '. It could help us understand why certain gender stereotypes are viewed by societies as given.rat could also help us explain such problems as the unequal representation in most political structures, and the gendered labour system!. In addition, as the quotation a~ove suggests, the way we talk has gender connotations of which most people are unaware. Many males however, distance themselves from public debates on gender issues on the grounds that gender is about women.
'Unearthing' the 'essential' past: The making of a public 'national' memory through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 1994-1998
(University of the Western Cape, 1998) Harris, Brent
At a lecture presented in London on June 5, 1994, Jacques Derrida discussed the complexities of the meaning of the archive. He described the duality in meaning of the word archive-in terms of temporality and spatiality-as a place of "commencement" and as the place "where men and gods command" or the ''place from which order is given". As the place of commencement, "there where things commence" the archive is more ambivalent. It houses, what could best be described as 'traces" of particular objects of the past in the form of documents. These documents were produced in the past and are subjective constructions with their own histories of negotiations and contestations. As such, the archive represents the end of instability, or the outcome of negotiations and contestations over knowledge. Yet as sources of evidence the archive also represents the moment of ending instability, of creating stasis and the fixing of meaning and knowledge.
Memory and representation: Robben Island Museum 1997-1999
(University of the Western Cape, 2000) Solani, Noel Lungile Zwelidumile; Witz, Leslie; Dept. of History; Faculty of Arts
The notion of what constitutes a nation has been a subject of many debates. The nation, like individual is the culmination of a long past of endeavours, sacrifice and devotion. The post aprtheid project of reconciliation in South Africa is part of this desire to live together as citizens of one country irrespective of past differences. This desire transforms itself to cultural institutions like museums or rather cultural institutions represents this desire in a more systematic way in the post apartheid South Africa as they seek to transform.
Locating 'home': Strategies of settlement, identity-formation and social change among African women in Cape Town, 1948-2000
(University of the Western Cape, 2002) Lee, Rebekah; Beinart, William
This dissertation constructs a social history of African women in Cape Town from the vantage point of their varied attempts over the last five decades to map 'home' in the urban setting: in the physical structures of their homes; the character of their social and kinship networks; and in the ways a notion of 'place' was re-worked. An historiographical examination of existing research has shown that, especially in the South African context, much scope remains for a regionally specific historical analysis of the urbanisation process, and African women's unique role in it. The use of oral histories and the adoption of a trans-generational interviewing strategy have helped fashion a textured account of African women's settlement strategies, and the underlying social and personal transformations that their design and use suggested. 'First-generational' women, who entered Cape Town at mid-century, led an uncertain and highly regulated urban existence, by virtue of their enforced marginalisation under apartheid. Until the late-1980s, Cape Town retained a distinctive demographic composition, and an historical association as the 'home' of the Coloured population. This made state and local efforts to control the entry and residence of the minority African populace more coercive and successful, at least in the first two decades of apartheid rule. Despite these restrictions, African women constructed and managed a dense set of strategies which affirmed their material livelihoods in the city and increasingly enmeshed their identities in the workings of a modern and commoditised world. However, first-generational women also actively contested these developments to some extent, evident particularly in their efforts to regulate the movement of and compel financial support from their increasingly mobile daughters and granddaughters. Evidence from second and third-generational respondents show a growing reluctance to utilise first-generational women's settlement strategies and the conceptual frameworks which underpinned them. For instance, associational links were increasingly organised along non-racialised lines. Third-generational women's desire to establish residence in other areas of the city, or in other cities entirely, was indicative of a similar dynamic. This was also reflective of their embrace of mobility as an expression of greater economic and social freedoms possible in a post-apartheid world. This dissertation constructs a social history of African women in Cape Town from the vantage point of their varied attempts over the last five decades to locate 'home' in the urban setting. It charts the experiences of a group of women who first moved to Cape Town in the 1940s and 50s, and their children and grandchildren. My focus is on the way in which succeeding generations of women developed differing strategies of settlement, in the context of sometimes dramatic social and political change. The social as well as the physical elements of locating home are key elements in the analysis, including the redefinition of kinship and associational networks, as well as the re-casting of identities and a sense of place. Until the late 1980s, Cape Town retained a distinctive demographic composition, and an historical association as the 'home' of the Coloured- population. This made state and local efforts to control the entry and residence of the minority African populace more coercive and successful, at least in the first two decades of apartheid rule. Rather than painting a comprehensive portrait of urban African life in the apartheid era (1948- 1994), this dissertation hopes to map a few significant dynamics which were manifest in the encounters between a select group of African women and the distinctive terrain of this city during the apartheid years.
The construction of public history and tourist destinations in Cape Town's townships: a study of routes, sites and heritage
(University of the Western Cape, 2002) Dondolo, Luvuyo; Witt, Leslie; Rassool, Ciraj; Karp, Ivan; Kratz, Corinne; Dept. of History; Faculty of Arts
This paper seeks to explore a number of issues in relation to tourism, particularly cultural tours, in Cape Town from the apartheid era to the new political dispensation in South Africa. Cultural tourism is not merely about commerial activities. It is an ideological framing of history of people, nature, and culture, a framing that has power to reshape culture and nature for its own needs. In the South African context, this can be seen from the early decades of the twentieth century, but for the purposes of this study it will focus from the 1950s onwards to the present political period. The dominant ideology and political conditions at a given time shape cultural tourism.
The individual, auto/biography and history in South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2004) Rassool, Ciraj; Bundy, Colin; Dept. of History; Faculty of Arts
This thesis is a contribution to the field of public history, which the author and others at the University of the Western Cape's History Department have over the last decade pioneered in defining and mapping out in South Africa. Rassool's theories about the relationship between history and biography were developed in relation to the life of the Unity Movement leader, I.B. Tabata.
The politics of production of archaeological knowledge :a case study of the later stone age rock art paintings of Kasam, Northern Zambia
(University of the Western Cape, 2004) Lishiko, Billiard Berbbingtone; Witz, Leslie; Dept. of History; Faculty of Arts
The main purpose of this study was to investigate and examined the politics in the production of archaeological knowledge especially in rock art, at academic, heritage institutions and national and global level. It aims to trace and examine the development and movement of particular hypotheses or interpretations and their appropriateness in the study and management of rock art heritage in southern Africa.
Lowering the gaze: Representations of Muslim women in South African society in the 1990's
(University of the Western Cape, 2004) Gamieldien, Maheerah; Rasool, Ciraj
Muslim women�s lack of access to mosque space has left them with few opportunities to direct or influence the interpretation of the theological texts. The mosque is an almost strictly gendered space that is seen as a key platform from which Muslims are exhorted to fulfill existing obligations and where new practices emerge as part of the creation of tradition in the Muslim community. I would further like to argue that it is the acts and interventions of the women who have claimed Islam and its belief system in its entirety as their own and then shaped this to fit their lives that will enable Muslims to rethink existing attitudes to women in Muslim communities.
The South African Jewish Museum and the Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum: Serving different publics in two community museums in the Western Cape
(University of the Western Cape, 2005) Buthelezi, Vincent Vusi; Witz, Leslie
The 1990s came with many changes and developments in South Africa, especially in the political and social lives of people and their public institutions. The concept of transformation and transition became a household word, from red-carpeted parliamentary corridors to tiny gravel township streets and villages in rural communities. Two community museums emerged in the Western Cape cultural and heritage landscape in response to these political changes: the South African Jewish Museum and the Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum. The extensively revamped South African Jewish Museum, which opened its doors in 1997, is situated in centre of the city of Cape Town (which under apartheid was designated as a white area). It is accommodated in the one of the oldest buildings in South Africa, the original building of the first SA Jewish synagogue built in 1862. The building has been extended, added to and extensively refurbished. The Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum is an entirely new institution in the post apartheid democratic South Africa. It is situated in a township forty kilometers from the Cape Town city centre. During the days of apartheid Lwandle township was designated as a place for black male hostel dwellers. The museum is accommodated in an old community hall, which was once a hostel dwellers recreational hall.
An investigation of the role played by education in the Hutu- Tutsi relations in Rwanda ,1916-1959
(University of Western Cape, 2005) Isidore, Ndikumana; Mngomezulu, Bhekithemba Richard
The Rwandese society is composed of three ethnic groups: Hutus, .Tutsis and Twas who started living together from the 16th century when the kingdom of Rwanda was formed until today.1 From the early 20th century up to recently in 1994 with Tutsi Genocide, there were different ethnic conflicts between Hutus and Tutsis (Twas constituted only a small percentage of the total Rwandan population thus inevitably becoming an insignificant group in those ethnic conflicts).
The historical productions of Cecil John Rhodes in 20th century Cape Town
(University of the Western Cape, 2005) Mdudumane, Khayalethu; Lalu, Premesh; Dept. of History; Faculty of Arts
This thesis analysed the historical productions of Rhodes in 20th century Cape Town. The critique of this study was that Cape Town embodies the history of imperialism in maintaining the memory of Rhodes. The thesis examined the following sites: Rhodes Cottage Museum, Rhodes Groote Schuur minor house, Rhodes Memorial and two statues, one in the Company Gardens at Cape Town and the other at the University of Cape Town.
The �silent� privatisation of urban public space in Cape Town, 1975 � 2004
(University of the Western Cape, 2005) Spocter, Manfred Aldrin; Donaldson, Ronnie; Faculty of Arts
South African cities were subjected to artificial, unnatural growth patterns brought about by apartheid planning that legitimated exclusionary practices in the city and which created and maintained racial, social and class differences between people. Post-apartheid South Africa has witnessed processes of urban fortification, barricading and the gating of urban space that are manifested in contemporary urban South Africa. This research shows that the privatisation of urban public space is not solely a postapartheid phenomenon. Closure legislation has been, and still is, used by citizens to remove urban space from the public realm through its privatisation. Closures are largely citizen-driven, either individually or as a collective, and it is small public spaces that are privatised, hence the micro-privatisation of public space that could influence the immediate surroundings and erf-sized living space of individuals. The concerns voiced by closure applicants through their application for closure, reflect personal living space concerns. It is ordinary people, not major real estate companies or corporations that are able to influence the land management processes of the city. A dataset of all closures in the central substructure region of Cape Town between 1975 and 2004 was compiled from Provincial Government Gazettes and supplemented with map and file data from the City of Cape Town�s Land Information Management Department. This allowed for the quantitative analysis and investigation of successful closures using Microsoft Access in order to identify closure trends. A geographic information systems database was created to visually display spatial and temporal closure trends. A qualitative study of written correspondence received from successful closure applicants in two suburbs, Camps Bay and Mitchell�s Plain, was completed in order to establish a profile of applicants, the reasons forwarded for closures and the techniques used by applicants to secure a successful closure. The resultant analysis showed that closures tended to mirror the socio-spatial realities of the apartheid city with a tendency for closures to be concentrated in better-off, previously white suburbs. A dramatic rise in closure numbers from the mid-1980s is testament to the weakening of the grip of the apartheid state on controlling urban areas. Applicants in the two sample suburbs used various techniques in order to procure successful closure of urban public space. A number of different approaches to secure closure were observed in the sample suburbs. Finally, given the rise in private housing estates in a post-apartheid urban milieu a number of recommendations for further research are made with a view to understanding privatisation of the public realm in South African cities.
Rundu, Kavango: a case study of forced relocation in Namibia, 1954 to 1972
(University of the Western Cape, 2005) Likuwa, Kletus Muhena; Mesthrie, Uma; Dept. of History; Faculty of Arts
This research dealt with the following cases of relocation that occurred in Rundu, namely: Nkondo village in the 1950s, forced removal to karapamwe Black Township in 1968, and the relocation of Sarusungu and Bangarangandja in 1971 and 1972. The central research aim of this study was to explain why and how relocations occurred and their impact on the communities. The study also aimed to explain the motives of the authorities for the removals.

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