Doctoral Degrees (History)

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (History) by browse.metadata.advisor "Grundlingh, A. M., 1948-"

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    The complexities of heritage production in a South African community from the 1900s to the present : Graaff-Reinet, a case study
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03) Kayster, Anziske Florenza; Grundlingh, Albert; Grundlingh, A. M., 1948-; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The primary argument behind this investigation is the observation that heritage has become ubiquitous in contemporary societies. The need for heritage is contagious and is observed globally, albeit that this need is subject to fluctuations which include the influence of geographical place. This study, therefore, engages with heritage theory in Graaff-Reinet as a geographical microcosmos of South Africa, and evaluates if heritage is the contemporary usage of the past in current societies. The primary argument behind this investigation is the observation that heritage has become ubiquitous in contemporary societies. The need for heritage is contagious and is observed globally, albeit that this need is subject to fluctuations which include the influence of geographical place. This study, therefore, engages with heritage theory in Graaff-Reinet as a geographical microcosmos of South Africa, and evaluates if heritage is the contemporary usage of the past in current societies. This study draws on examples extracted from the historical record. The researcher aspires to address and rectify the lacunae that exist regarding heritage in Graaff-Reinet. She casts the heritage net wider to also include an investigation of the heritage of the Black and Coloured population of Graaff-Reinet, and to narrate their role in the production process as opposed to previous histographies, who omitted or moderated their role in scholarship. In addition, the study offers insights into the heritage consumption process during certain important time periods in the history of South Africa and thus, Graaff-Reinet. During this investigation of the uses of heritage, the researcher utilises various examples of heritage to determine what the primary use of heritage is and how it was employed to achieve cultural, political, and economic objectives. Lastly, this exploration aims to shed light on the inherent dissonant nature of heritage and particularly the stimuli that provokes dissonance in heritage in a post-colonial society such as Graaff-Reinet. For this purpose, the researcher once again extracted examples from the historical record which were subjected to critical analysis. For this study, a qualitative research approach was adopted. This approach allows the examination of a community within a particular geographical area and encouraged a detailed enquiry into people’s experiences, utilising research methods which included in-depth interviews and the interpretation of information collected through oral history interviews. In addition, this information was augmented by the theoretical interpretation of the archival material obtained from repositories such as the local municipality, museums, churches, a local school and from the private collections of the residents of Graaff-Reinet.
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    Germans in South Africa during and in the aftermath of World War Two : the dynamics and contradictions of internment, 1939–1948
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03) Gess, David Wolfgang; Gess, D. W. (David W.); Grundlingh, Albert M.; Grundlingh, A. M., 1948-; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: On 1 September 1939, Hitler invaded Poland, and two days later, France and Britain declared war on Germany. Three days later, South Africa, by a slim parliamentary vote, rejected a motion of neutrality and also chose to declare war. Public sentiment was split between supporters of the war policy of General Smuts and the Afrikaner nationalists who bitterly opposed the war and sympathised with Germany. In neighbouring South West Africa, a former German colony administered by South Africa as a mandate, a significant German population had sought to preserve German influence and Deutschtum and wanted the territory to be returned to Germany. Immediately upon the declaration of war, the South African Government commenced with the internment of German nationals in South Africa and South West Africa and contributed to the general war effort by providing accommodation for German internees removed from British territories in Africa and captured German merchant seamen. The number of internments was initially relatively small and focused primarily on Nazi Party leaders and membership, but later, in the context of fear of Fifth Column activities, general internments in greater numbers followed in 1940. During the course of the war, up to one third of the German male population of South West Africa was removed to South Africa and interned at Andalusia. There is an almost complete absence of any scholarly investigation of South Africa’s internment policy relating to Germans, its implementation, and the experiences of German men held in the internment camps. The purpose of this study was to undertake a detailed analysis of the formation and implementation of the internment policy, including how it affected German women, anti-Nazis and Jewish refugees. It examines how internees established leadership structures and organised themselves politically, adopted strategies for passing the time, and finally explores the issue of war time repatriation of German civilians through negotiated schemes for exchanges. This study reviewed previously unexamined archival sources and private papers. It concludes, firstly, that South Africa adopted and applied provisions analogous to the Geneva Convention of 1929 to all civilian internees, including merchant seamen. Internment was limited to German men. Secondly, internee communities in the main camps of Baviaanspoort and Andalusia developed their own identities, experiencing different internal struggles for leadership and political control. Thirdly, once internees realised that an early release was unlikely, most engaged in various activities to pass the time, aware of the negative psychological effects of long-term confinement known as Stacheldraadkrankheit, or barbed-wire sickness. Finally, making German civilians available for exchange through repatriation to wartime Germany, particularly with the Drottningholm repatriation of June 1944, met the dual purposes of obtaining the release of Commonwealth citizens held by Germany and advancing a policy of repatriating or deporting as many Germans as was possible. In conclusion, South Africa’s internment policy can be considered as being a successful measure in protecting the Home Front, but at the same time, there is little doubt that some internments, solely on account of German nationality, were unnecessary and unjustified.
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    One percent terror, ninety-nine percent boredom: an analysis of the military boredom and leisure time experiences of SADF soldiers during the South African Border War 1966–1989
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-03) Eriksen, Garrett Ernst; Grundlingh, A. M., 1948-; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY : The soldier's recreational time is not particularly well-researched, even in contemporary armies, with most emphasis being placed on the battles themselves, their aftermath and post-war trauma. Important aspects indeed, however, a soldier’s activities when resting, recovering or when keeping themselves entertained between adrenaline-soaked action is also worthy of scrutiny as it raises questions on war and society, and opens a window into the base-level mental state of what one could consider “professional combatants”. Using conscripts deployed during the South African Border War 1966-1989 as a case study, this research considers the causes and impacts of military boredom for the Cold War-era South African soldier as well as the strategies employed and structures built to overcome this state. This study reviews the institutional and the interpersonal circumstance of the bored South African Defence Force (SADF) soldier by exploring and analysing the historical, sociological, and psychological costs of boredom and leisure strategies whilst considering the interplay between boredom and trauma, the weighty influence of an increasingly militarised society, and finally how veterans now navigate memorialising this time in their lives. Evidence has revealed that, as the war progressed, the SADF became increasingly aware that leisure was as much a need to cater to, and boredom as much a state to guard against, as were clean water and nutritious food needed to ensure the physiological well-being of the soldiers under their command. Countering boredom, as a result, became a significant enterprise into which many resources were funnelled, from simpler aspects such as ensuring access to reading materials to more involved and far-reaching socio-military structures such as sports, religious organisations, and civilian support networks such as the Southern Cross Fund. For the men themselves, resolving boredom was as much an exercise in relieving daily duty drudgery as it was about survival in a hostile and alien environment with some successfully bearing their required National Service as a result, whilst for others, these strategies led to significant trauma and destructive coping mechanisms. The result of this study is a broader image of an under-researched conflict that demonstrates that the impact of the lesser known 99% of boredom is as important to a fuller understanding of this war as the 1% of terror is. This is also where a significant aspect of the human cost of such a war is hidden, the impact of which we are only now beginning to understand.