From the 'Merino Revolution' to the 'Astronomy Revolution

Land Alienation and Identity in Carnarvon, South Africa

Bibliographic Data

ID4603643
AuthorsDavide Chinigò (0000-0002-6683-6615, Stellenbosch University, corresponding author)
Year2019
Volume45
Issue4
Pages749-766
Publication date2019-07-04
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Southern African Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0305-7070 • E-ISSN: 1465-3893
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/03057070.2019.1642028
OpenAlexW2967406501
LanguageEN
Citations received5

The establishment of an astronomy reserve around the core site of the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope marks the beginning of an epochal shift away from commercial sheep farming in the upper Karoo. In this article, I reflect on the significance of this ‘astronomy revolution’ by exploring the ways in which land is central to dynamics of identification, shaping social hierarchies and development expectations. The article uses archival and ethnographic sources to explore the case of Carnarvon. It contextualises the current land-use change to astronomy in the social history of the town, addressing the set of events that marked an earlier epochal change: the transition from communal to commercial sheep farming, often called the ‘merino revolution’. The history of land alienation accompanying this earlier transition resurfaces in current claims lodged through the post-apartheid land restitution programme, which intersect in complex ways with the current land-use change to astronomy. The article identifies a central tension in the ‘astronomy revolution’, which undermines claims to redress local historical inequalities while promoting identification with a broader national and global development priority

Aesthetics · Alienation · Art · Geography · Political science · Social science · Sociology · African history and culture studies · History · Law · South African History and Culture

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