Afrikaner nationalism, print culture and the ‘capacity to aspire
The Imaginative Powers of Popular Fiction for Young Readers
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6030876 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Irma Du Plessis (0000-0002-7061-5399, University of the Witwatersrand, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 3-20 |
| Publication date | 2010-02-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | African Identities (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1472-5843 • E-ISSN: 1472-5851 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/14725840903223174 |
| OpenAlex | W2043811464 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 7 |
In studies on Afrikaner nationalism, there is a paucity of research on the interrelationship between print culture and nationalism, more so with regard to the field of children's and youth literature. This article examines the popular Keurboslaan series, initially comprising 20 titles, which was written for young Afrikaans readers and first published between 1941 and 1961. These were crucial years of Afrikaner nationalist mobilization and consolidation. Following Benedict Anderson and Arjun Appadurai, this article suggests that this series, partly because of its designation as popular children's literature, but more importantly as a result of the discursive strategies offered by the form and deployed by its author, was one of the avenues by which ideas associated with Afrikaner nationalism circulated more widely and an Afrikaner nationalist imaginary was popularized. However, the terms and manner in which Afrikaner ‘identity’ is represented in these popular but marginal texts differed markedly from the dominant constructions in formal or mainstream nationalist discourse as well as belletrist literature. Stella Blakemore's ability to tap into the need for escapist fiction in a way that also recognized (and produced) the capacity of some young readers to aspire, made possible identification with an Afrikaner nationalist world that was suffused with personal aspiration and desire. In Keurboslaan, the imaginative power of fiction conjures a form of belonging oriented towards the future; its discourse is that of modernity; its agent is the professional classes. The first version of this paper formed part of a PhD thesis, conferred by the University of Pretoria in 2004 and completed under the supervision of Professor P.H. Roodt – a real mensch. This work would not have been possible without the professional assistance provided and impeccable records kept by staff at the Nasionale Afrikaanse Letterkundige Museum en Navorsingsentrum (NALN), in particular Erika Terblanche. Notes 1. For a fuller discussion of this point, see Du Plessis (Citation2008). 2. Some Keurboslaan titles were first published by Afrikaanse Pers Boekhandel. These titles subsequently were taken over by J.L. van Schaik in order to publish the entire series under its imprint. 3. For a detailed discussion of Stella Blakemore's relationship to the project of Afrikaner nationalism, see Du Plessis (Citation2003, Citation2004a, Citationb, Citation2008). 4. Also see ‘Avontuur-verhaal’, newspaper clipping, date, author, publication unknown, NALN Collection, Bloemfontein. 5. Letter to Stella Owen from Jan van Schaik dated 9 February 1955. 6. Letter to Jan van Schaik from Stella Owen dated 15 February 1955. 7. Letter to J.L. Mr van Schaik from Stella Blakemore dated 11 September 1947. 8. Letter to Jan van Schaik from Stella Owen, signed ‘Esso’, dated 8 May 1959. 9. ‘Skryf neer wat jy dink jy eendag gaan word’ in the original Afrikaans. 10. Debates about the appropriateness of the television programme Yizo-Yizo, a post-1994 production, with its realist depiction of school life in South Africa, have developed along similar lines. In public forums there are those that argue that to motivate and inspire the youth one should not confront them with the ugly realities of township school life, but present them with an idealized and aspirational depiction of schools. 11. In the second volume in the series, a minor (and elderly) character is described as a veteran from the Anglo-Boer War. 12. The Keurboslaan texts are deeply saturated with colonial imagery of the savage other and offensive racial terminology and sexist depictions. For a discussion about the issue of representations of race in Keurboslaan, see Du Plessis (Citation2008). 13. Stella Blakemore wrote from a number of colonial and later independent African states. Incidents such as the one described here is probably a reflection of the influence of accounts of post-colonial white flight, such as those seen in the Congo. 14. There is one exception, which is also very interesting. Allegra op Maasdorp was prescribed for Afrikaans second-language students
Aesthetics · Art · Identity (music · Literature · Mainstream · Media studies · Modernity · Narrative · Nationalism · Political science · Politics · Popular culture · Print culture · Sociology · European Cultural and National Identity · Gender Studies · Law · Philippine History and Culture · Themes in Literature Analysis
| Citations per year | 0.14 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2012 - 2020 (9) |
| Highly cited | No |