Troubling Images: Visual Culture and the Politics of Afrikaner Nationalism, 2020
Emerging in the late nineteenth century and gaining currency in the 1930s and 1940s, Afrikaner na... more Emerging in the late nineteenth century and gaining currency in the 1930s and 1940s, Afrikaner nationalist fervour underpinned the establishment of white Afrikaner political and cultural domination during South Africa's apartheid years. Focusing on manifestations of Afrikaner nationalism in paintings, sculptures, monuments, buildings, cartoons, photographs, illustrations and exhibitions, Troubling Images offers a critical account of the role of art and visual culture in the construction of a unifi ed Afrikaner imaginary, which helped secure hegemonic claims to the nation-state. This insightful volume examines the implications of metaphors and styles deployed in visual culture, and considers how the design, production, collecting and commissioning of objects, images and architecture were informed by Afrikaner nationalist imperatives and ideals. While some chapters focus only on instances of adherence to Afrikaner nationalism, others consider articulations of dissent and criticism. By 'troubling' these images: looking at them, teasing out their meanings, and connecting them to a political and social project that still has a major impact on the present moment, the authors engage with the ways in which an Afrikaner nationalist inheritance is understood and negotiated in contemporary South Africa. They examine the management of its material effects in contemporary art, in archives, the commemorative landscape and the built environment. Troubling Images adds to current debates about the histories and ideological underpinnings of nationalism and is particularly relevant in the current context of globalism and diaspora, resurgent nationalisms and calls for decolonisation.
South Africa’s past is contested. Antagonists in these ‘memory wars’ construct histories that val... more South Africa’s past is contested. Antagonists in these ‘memory wars’ construct histories that validate their actions and discredit those of their erstwhile enemies. South Africa's 'Border War' provides a timely study of the battle waged by apologists for the South African Defence Force (SADF) against critics and detractors. The book explores the lasting impact of the 'Border War' on South African culture and society, with particular emphasis on SADF veterans. And it critiques the victim-perpetrator dichotomy posited by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that has informed public discourse about the apartheid era.
The author offers an appraisal of the secondary literature of the 'Border War', supplemented by archival research, interviews and an analysis of articles, newspaper reports, reviews and blogs Adopting a genuinely multidisciplinary approach that borrows from the study of history, literature, visual culture, memory, politics and international relations, Baines has produced a seminal text on the study of war and memory, as well as the modern history of South Africa.
"For some fifteen years little attention has been paid to South Africa's late Cold War conflicts ... more "For some fifteen years little attention has been paid to South Africa's late Cold War conflicts and the memories of soldiers who fought in them. Likewise, combatants with the liberation movements have all but been forgotten or otherwise marginalised in the new political dispensation. But the recent controversy over the exclusion of the names of SADF soldiers from the Freedom Park memorial wall and the popularity of publications and the existence of Internet sites that host personal accounts of the war suggest that there is significant public interest in these matters. The discovery of mass graves and questions about the treatment of detainees in SWAPO camps have kept the war in the public eye in Namibia.
This volume offers new perspectives on the Border War through the paradigms of diplomatic and military history, cultural and literary studies, as well as victimology. Contributors to this volume have challenged the boundaries, broken the silences, even tackled some taboos about the war. They have put the Border War firmly back on the academic agenda thereby mirroring its place in the popular imagination."
This paper posits the importance of visual representations in cultivating a national consciousnes... more This paper posits the importance of visual representations in cultivating a national consciousness among white Afrikaners in South Africa. It provides a case study of stamps issued to commemorate the centenary of the Great Trek in 1938 that sought to raise awareness of and funds for the Voortrekker Monument project. Although stamps are, ordinarily, symbols of banal nationalism, the Voortrekker stamps resonated strongly with the sentiments the Afrikaner volk (people). They reified an iconography of the Voortrekkers and the narrative of the Great Trek already embedded in a canon of texts, images and rituals. The paper provides a semiotic reading of the designs of the stamps and shows how they shaped the cultural imaginary of Afrikaners. Although the Voortrekker stamps were issued with the approval of the postal authorities, they were actually commissioned by the Sentrale Volksmonumentekomitee [Central People's Monuments Committee (SVK)], which had close ties to the National Party (NP) opposition. Although the project was largely state sponsored, the SVK insisted upon its autonomy. Thus the government sanctioned a project over which it exercised no jurisdiction. The United Party paid a price for
This paper posits the importance of visual representations in cultivating a national consciousnes... more This paper posits the importance of visual representations in cultivating a national consciousness among white Afrikaners in South Africa. It provides a case study of stamps issued to commemorate the centenary of the Great Trek in 1938 that sought to raise awareness of and funds for the Voortrekker Monument project. Although stamps are, ordinarily, symbols of banal nationalism, the Voortrekker stamps resonated strongly with the sentiments the Afrikaner volk (people). They reified an iconography of the Voortrekkers and the narrative of the Great Trek already embedded in a canon of texts, images and rituals. The paper provides a semiotic reading of the designs of the stamps and shows how they shaped the cultural imaginary of Afrikaners. Although the Voortrekker stamps were issued with the approval of the postal authorities, they were actually commissioned by the Sentrale Volksmonumentekomitee [Central People's Monuments Committee (SVK)], which had close ties to the National Party (NP) opposition. Although the project was largely state sponsored, the SVK insisted upon its autonomy. Thus the government sanctioned a project over which it exercised no jurisdiction. The United Party paid a price for
The Vocabulary of the Vietnam War: South African invocations of an analogy and its associated les... more The Vocabulary of the Vietnam War: South African invocations of an analogy and its associated lessons
Troubling Images: Visual Culture and the Politics of Afrikaner Nationalism, 2020
Emerging in the late nineteenth century and gaining currency in the 1930s and 1940s, Afrikaner na... more Emerging in the late nineteenth century and gaining currency in the 1930s and 1940s, Afrikaner nationalist fervour underpinned the establishment of white Afrikaner political and cultural domination during South Africa's apartheid years. Focusing on manifestations of Afrikaner nationalism in paintings, sculptures, monuments, buildings, cartoons, photographs, illustrations and exhibitions, Troubling Images offers a critical account of the role of art and visual culture in the construction of a unifi ed Afrikaner imaginary, which helped secure hegemonic claims to the nation-state. This insightful volume examines the implications of metaphors and styles deployed in visual culture, and considers how the design, production, collecting and commissioning of objects, images and architecture were informed by Afrikaner nationalist imperatives and ideals. While some chapters focus only on instances of adherence to Afrikaner nationalism, others consider articulations of dissent and criticism. By 'troubling' these images: looking at them, teasing out their meanings, and connecting them to a political and social project that still has a major impact on the present moment, the authors engage with the ways in which an Afrikaner nationalist inheritance is understood and negotiated in contemporary South Africa. They examine the management of its material effects in contemporary art, in archives, the commemorative landscape and the built environment. Troubling Images adds to current debates about the histories and ideological underpinnings of nationalism and is particularly relevant in the current context of globalism and diaspora, resurgent nationalisms and calls for decolonisation.
South Africa’s past is contested. Antagonists in these ‘memory wars’ construct histories that val... more South Africa’s past is contested. Antagonists in these ‘memory wars’ construct histories that validate their actions and discredit those of their erstwhile enemies. South Africa's 'Border War' provides a timely study of the battle waged by apologists for the South African Defence Force (SADF) against critics and detractors. The book explores the lasting impact of the 'Border War' on South African culture and society, with particular emphasis on SADF veterans. And it critiques the victim-perpetrator dichotomy posited by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that has informed public discourse about the apartheid era.
The author offers an appraisal of the secondary literature of the 'Border War', supplemented by archival research, interviews and an analysis of articles, newspaper reports, reviews and blogs Adopting a genuinely multidisciplinary approach that borrows from the study of history, literature, visual culture, memory, politics and international relations, Baines has produced a seminal text on the study of war and memory, as well as the modern history of South Africa.
"For some fifteen years little attention has been paid to South Africa's late Cold War conflicts ... more "For some fifteen years little attention has been paid to South Africa's late Cold War conflicts and the memories of soldiers who fought in them. Likewise, combatants with the liberation movements have all but been forgotten or otherwise marginalised in the new political dispensation. But the recent controversy over the exclusion of the names of SADF soldiers from the Freedom Park memorial wall and the popularity of publications and the existence of Internet sites that host personal accounts of the war suggest that there is significant public interest in these matters. The discovery of mass graves and questions about the treatment of detainees in SWAPO camps have kept the war in the public eye in Namibia.
This volume offers new perspectives on the Border War through the paradigms of diplomatic and military history, cultural and literary studies, as well as victimology. Contributors to this volume have challenged the boundaries, broken the silences, even tackled some taboos about the war. They have put the Border War firmly back on the academic agenda thereby mirroring its place in the popular imagination."
This paper posits the importance of visual representations in cultivating a national consciousnes... more This paper posits the importance of visual representations in cultivating a national consciousness among white Afrikaners in South Africa. It provides a case study of stamps issued to commemorate the centenary of the Great Trek in 1938 that sought to raise awareness of and funds for the Voortrekker Monument project. Although stamps are, ordinarily, symbols of banal nationalism, the Voortrekker stamps resonated strongly with the sentiments the Afrikaner volk (people). They reified an iconography of the Voortrekkers and the narrative of the Great Trek already embedded in a canon of texts, images and rituals. The paper provides a semiotic reading of the designs of the stamps and shows how they shaped the cultural imaginary of Afrikaners. Although the Voortrekker stamps were issued with the approval of the postal authorities, they were actually commissioned by the Sentrale Volksmonumentekomitee [Central People's Monuments Committee (SVK)], which had close ties to the National Party (NP) opposition. Although the project was largely state sponsored, the SVK insisted upon its autonomy. Thus the government sanctioned a project over which it exercised no jurisdiction. The United Party paid a price for
This paper posits the importance of visual representations in cultivating a national consciousnes... more This paper posits the importance of visual representations in cultivating a national consciousness among white Afrikaners in South Africa. It provides a case study of stamps issued to commemorate the centenary of the Great Trek in 1938 that sought to raise awareness of and funds for the Voortrekker Monument project. Although stamps are, ordinarily, symbols of banal nationalism, the Voortrekker stamps resonated strongly with the sentiments the Afrikaner volk (people). They reified an iconography of the Voortrekkers and the narrative of the Great Trek already embedded in a canon of texts, images and rituals. The paper provides a semiotic reading of the designs of the stamps and shows how they shaped the cultural imaginary of Afrikaners. Although the Voortrekker stamps were issued with the approval of the postal authorities, they were actually commissioned by the Sentrale Volksmonumentekomitee [Central People's Monuments Committee (SVK)], which had close ties to the National Party (NP) opposition. Although the project was largely state sponsored, the SVK insisted upon its autonomy. Thus the government sanctioned a project over which it exercised no jurisdiction. The United Party paid a price for
The Vocabulary of the Vietnam War: South African invocations of an analogy and its associated les... more The Vocabulary of the Vietnam War: South African invocations of an analogy and its associated lessons
Colonel (retired) Jan Breytenbach is the author of a number of books about his role in the Border... more Colonel (retired) Jan Breytenbach is the author of a number of books about his role in the Border War. Forged in Battle is an account of how (the then commandant) Breytenbach transformed a motley crew of erstwhile MPLA and subsequently FNLA combatants into a disciplined fighting unit known as Bravo Company. In the process these soldiers switched their allegiance from Daniel Chipenda to Breytenbach and his fellow white South African Defence Force officers who trained and led them through a series of battles against FAPLA and Cuban forces from August to December 1975. This is the story of Battalion 32 before the unit adopted the symbol of the Buffalo and the motto "forged in battle". The metaphor of the blacksmith's forge might refer to the fashioning of Bravo Company's fighting prowess, but it could equally refer to its transition from bandits with shifting allegiances to soldiers loyal to the unit and its commanding officers.
In 2004, the annual New Music Indaba (a contemporary music festival) was held in Grahamstown. As ... more In 2004, the annual New Music Indaba (a contemporary music festival) was held in Grahamstown. As a prelude to the festival, a conference was held, dealing with the musics (plural) of apartheid - and specifically, how apartheid was constituted through music. Thirteen of the papers that were delivered were subsequently published in Composing apartheid, under the editorship of Grant Olwage, a senior lecturer in the Wits School of Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
ABSTRACT South Africa’s past is contested. Antagonists in these ‘memory wars’ construct histories... more ABSTRACT South Africa’s past is contested. Antagonists in these ‘memory wars’ construct histories that validate their actions and discredit those of their erstwhile enemies. South Africa's 'Border War' provides a timely study of the battle waged by apologists for the South African Defence Force (SADF) against critics and detractors. The book explores the lasting impact of the 'Border War' on South African culture and society, with particular emphasis on SADF veterans. And it critiques the victim-perpetrator dichotomy posited by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that has informed public discourse about the apartheid era. The author offers an appraisal of the secondary literature of the 'Border War', supplemented by archival research, interviews and an analysis of articles, newspaper reports, reviews and blogs Adopting a genuinely multidisciplinary approach that borrows from the study of history, literature, visual culture, memory, politics and international relations, Baines has produced a seminal text on the study of war and memory, as well as the modern history of South Africa.
Abstract: Co-published by Greenwood Press and the University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, this set of ... more Abstract: Co-published by Greenwood Press and the University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, this set of essays collected under the title Daily Lives of Civilians in Wartime Africa was presumably commissioned by the American publisher (although the editor who now teaches in ...
Abstract: The proliferation of memorials, monuments and a preoccupation with anniversaries has st... more Abstract: The proliferation of memorials, monuments and a preoccupation with anniversaries has stimulated scholarly interest in the role of memory in society. This 'memory turn' was propelled by the (re)discovery of the work of French social theorists such as Maurice Halbwachs on ...
Masculinities, militarisation and the End Conscription Campaign explores the gendered dynamics of... more Masculinities, militarisation and the End Conscription Campaign explores the gendered dynamics of apartheid-era South Africa’s militarisation, analysing the defiance of compulsory military service by individual white men and the anti-apartheid activism of the white men and women in the End Conscription Campaign (ECC). The ECC was the most significant white anti-apartheid social movement in South Africa. Military conscription and objection to it are conceptualised as gendered acts of citizenship and premised on and constitutive of masculinities. Analysing the interconnections between militarisation, sexuality, race, homophobia and political authoritarianism, Conway draws upon a range of materials and disciplines to produce this socio-political study. Sources include interviews with white men who objected to military service in the South African Defence Force (SADF), archival material including military intelligence surveillance of the ECC, ECC campaigning material, press reports and pro-state propaganda.The analysis is informed by perspectives in sociology, international relations, history and from analysis of contemporary militarised societies such as Israel and Turkey.
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Inaugural lecture by Gary Baines
Books by Gary Baines
The author offers an appraisal of the secondary literature of the 'Border War', supplemented by archival research, interviews and an analysis of articles, newspaper reports, reviews and blogs Adopting a genuinely multidisciplinary approach that borrows from the study of history, literature, visual culture, memory, politics and international relations, Baines has produced a seminal text on the study of war and memory, as well as the modern history of South Africa.
This volume offers new perspectives on the Border War through the paradigms of diplomatic and military history, cultural and literary studies, as well as victimology. Contributors to this volume have challenged the boundaries, broken the silences, even tackled some taboos about the war. They have put the Border War firmly back on the academic agenda thereby mirroring its place in the popular imagination."
Papers by Gary Baines
The author offers an appraisal of the secondary literature of the 'Border War', supplemented by archival research, interviews and an analysis of articles, newspaper reports, reviews and blogs Adopting a genuinely multidisciplinary approach that borrows from the study of history, literature, visual culture, memory, politics and international relations, Baines has produced a seminal text on the study of war and memory, as well as the modern history of South Africa.
This volume offers new perspectives on the Border War through the paradigms of diplomatic and military history, cultural and literary studies, as well as victimology. Contributors to this volume have challenged the boundaries, broken the silences, even tackled some taboos about the war. They have put the Border War firmly back on the academic agenda thereby mirroring its place in the popular imagination."