Cultural and social experiences and legacies of Esop Suliman and contemporaries in Wellington, South Africa, 1900-19381
Date
2020-07
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
SABINET
Abstract
This study attempts to investigate socio-cultural experiences of Esop Suliman,
an immigrant from India, in the rural parts of the Cape Colony, South Africa,
roundabout the turn of the 20th century until 1938 in the Cape Province. Special
emphasis is placed on the town of Wellington. The study differs from previous
work on Indian history in South Africa that tended to focus on leadership. It focuses
on an individual, Esop Suliman, his family and contemporaries through archival
searches, interviews and the author’s own recollections. The study commences
with a cursory literature review of Indian immigration to South Africa, followed
by a historical overview of Indian presence in Wellington prior to the Second
World War. Historical narratives, in particular regarding Esop Suliman, were
collected from archives and personal interviews in order to answer the research
question: How did Esop Suliman and other immigrants from India negotiate the
Cape Colony’s segregationist practices and other restrictions to which they were
subjected by the local authorities? The biographies of Esop Suliman, his family
and contemporaries relied on previous research findings that drew conclusions
about matters related to travel, business, marriage and family life, assimilation
and identity consciousness. A conclusion was drawn that the individuals in this
study had mapped pathways for themselves by having possessed the ability to
establish social networks across cultural divides, showing what it meant to be
human. This humanity left a legacy for their descendants to expand on.
Description
The original publication is available from https://journals.co.za/journal/culture
CITATION: Cleophas, F.J. 2020. Cultural and social experiences and legacies of Esop Suliman and contemporaries in Wellington, South Africa, 1900-19381. South African Journal of Cultural History, 34(1):97-115.
CITATION: Cleophas, F.J. 2020. Cultural and social experiences and legacies of Esop Suliman and contemporaries in Wellington, South Africa, 1900-19381. South African Journal of Cultural History, 34(1):97-115.
Keywords
Suliman, Esop, Wellington (South Africa), Indians -- Emigration and immigration -- South Africa -- Wellington, Cultural pluralism, Culture
Citation
Cleophas, F.J. 2020. Cultural and social experiences and legacies of Esop Suliman and contemporaries in Wellington, South Africa, 1900-19381. South African Journal of Cultural History, 34(1):97-115.