Articulating Cultural Pluralism through Public Art as Heritage in South Africa
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2162838 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sabine Marschall (0000-0003-2761-5649, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 77-97 |
| Publication date | 2010-02-04 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Visual Anthropology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0894-9468 • E-ISSN: 1545-5920 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/08949460903472929 |
| OpenAlex | W2075327981 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 15 |
| References cited | 8 |
Public art in South Africa today often consists of commemorative art promoted as “heritage” and installed in pursuit of specific sociopolitical goals such as reconciliation and nation-building. Cultural artifacts in the public arena can be important transmission mechanisms for cultural policy and negotiate the representation of different societal groupings in multicultural settings. This article focuses on the case of Durban, a large coastal city with a high level of multicultural diversity. It investigates how city authorities and political officials utilize public art to adjust a monocultural artistic landscape and articulate the democratization of urban environments. The article engages with different concepts of multiculturalism and discusses the shift from the rainbow-nation model toward African nationalism, illustrated through selected examples. It is argued that an examination of the state-endorsed practice of installing works of public art sheds light on the interpretation of larger discourses on race, cultural diversity and nation-building. The article concludes by advocating the need for a broader and less prescribed understanding of public art
Aesthetics · Cultural heritage · Democracy · Democratization · Diversity (politics · Epistemology · Interpretation (philosophy · Media studies · Multiculturalism · Nationalism · Negotiation · Pluralism (philosophy · Political science · Politics · Social science · Sociology · Anthropology · Cultural Industries and Urban Development · Law · Public Administration · Public Spaces through Art · South African History and Culture
Mapping public art to explore the decolonization and Africanization of space in the inner city of Durban, South Africa
The Landscape of Public Art Research
Street Names and Statues
Tales of Political Monuments in Malawi
Integrating multiculturalism in public space policy and place governance
Video Etnografi
Cultural policy and just cities in Africa
Imagining Shared Space
How to honour a woman
The Cinderella metaphor
Creative Cities, Graffiti and Culture-Led Development in South Africa
The statue is a painful reminder of the past
Public holidays aslieux de mémoire
Visual and Oral Narratives of Place and Belonging during Brexit
Private Sector Involvement in Public History Production in South Africa
| Unique citing works | 15 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,94 |
| Citation span | 2010 - 2026 (17) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 15 |