Pitfalls of a profession : Afrikaner historians and the notion of an "objective-scientific" approach in perspective
Date
2020
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Sun Media
Abstract
From about the 1930s until late into the twentieth century, professional historical
writing in Afrikaner circles was closely linked to the universities, and the universities
in turn played a significant role in promoting the wider nationalist enterprise. History
was regarded as a crucial discipline: the past was needed to legitimate the present. In
an influential text written in 1941 on Afrikaans universities, the importance of the
past was emphasised in near-religious terms: the “calling” and “destination” of the
Afrikaner people were predetermined by their past and the “volk” therefore had a
duty to honour and obey the sanctity of that past.
Description
CITATION: Grundlingh, A. 2020. Pitfalls of a profession : Afrikaner historians and the notion of an "objective-scientific" approach in perspective, in Jansen, J. & Walters, C. (eds). 2020. Fault lines : a primer on race, science and society. Stellenbosch: SUN PReSS, doi:10.18820/9781928480495/05.
The original publication is available at https://africansunmedia.store.it.si/za
The original publication is available at https://africansunmedia.store.it.si/za
Keywords
Research -- Moral and ethical aspects -- South Africa, Science -- Social aspects -- South Africa, Historiography
Citation
Grundlingh, A. 2020. Pitfalls of a profession : Afrikaner historians and the notion of an "objective-scientific" approach in perspective, in Jansen, J. & Walters, C. (eds). 2020. Fault lines : a primer on race, science and society. Stellenbosch: SUN PReSS, doi:10.18820/9781928480495/05.