Identity, Place and Politics in the Auto/biographies of two South African Educators
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12648552 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hein Willemse (0000-0002-9806-4410, University of Pretoria, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 231-246 |
| Publication date | 2014-02-27 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Life Writing (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1448-4528 • E-ISSN: 1751-2964 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/14484528.2014.888607 |
| OpenAlex | W2048649476 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 10 |
This paper examines the life writing of two well-known South African teachers, \nRichard Dudley (1924–2009) and Richard van der Ross (b. 1921), both officially \nclassified as Coloured persons. Alan Wieder wrote a biography on Dudley, viz. \nTeacher and Comrade (2008), and van der Ross published his autobiography \nA Blow to the Hoop (2010). From these representations one gains insight into the \nexpectations and social experiences of an urban elite, discriminated against \nbecause of the colour of their skin. The subjects in these texts inscribed or \ninscribe themselves into their historical context, self-representing or presenting \ntheir relationships to it, and in both instances this contested social identity \nbecomes a ‘dilemma’ to be resolved. The experiences of these leading and \nrepresentative figures are explored around a contested identity formation. \nTheir ideological differences are pronounced notably regarding social place and \n‘race’, and their choices between pragmatism and political principle. The paper \ndiscusses Dudley’s fundamental rejection of racial classification, and van der \nRoss’s acceptance and affirmation of an intermediate identity. It is found that \nboth instances are acts of identity construction serving the greater goal of the \nrepresentation of a unique self-in-history. Both texts offer alternative versions of \nhistory, and rationalize their subjects’ divergent choices around naming
Aesthetics · Art history · Biography · Context (archaeology · Dilemma · Elite · Epistemology · Identity (music · Ideology · Inscribed figure · Political science · Politics · Pragmatism · Representation (politics · Sociology · Autobiographical and Biographical Writing · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Gender Studies · History · Law · Multilingual Education and Policy · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2022 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |