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A core/periphery structure is a concept often used in various disciplines to examine the structure of different systems. In the study of Afrikaans literature, this structural facet is also a well-known topic and one that has already been written about extensively. It is generally assumed that actors within the core of a system are more important, authoritative, established and stable, while actors on the periphery often fulfill less important roles, are more dynamic and are also often newcomers. However, the question arises how it can be determined scientifically which role players function within the core of the system, and how the core can be demarcated. In this article, a network analysis of the contemporary Afrikaans poetry system is undertaken, and with the help of network concepts such as the k-core and eccentricity, it is shown how and where the core and the absolute core of the Afrikaans poetry system can be delineated. This approach provides an objective and scientific way to examine the structure of the poetry system. As such, the study connects to previous studies of the Afrikaans poetry system as a system and as a network, but the current study applies new criteria to a new data set and delineates the core of this system.

What kind of critical apparatus would be needed to best identify the conditions under which Afrikaans literature was produced? What kind of self-understanding could be expected from a historically privileged South African who teaches literature to foreign students? Rather than a formal theoretical critique, this inaugural lecture is a playful, hybrid text that will offer a rhetorically amplified performance in response to these questions. Its central thesis is that walking solves problems. The performance proceeds via a preamble stating these problems, followed by an autobiographical narrative covering several perambulations at dusk, concluding with a post-amble of allegories for reading and teaching literature in turbulent times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 14 January 1999, the woman theologian Christina Landman published an article in the religious column, Godsdiens Aktueel, of the Afrikaans daily newspaper Beeld under the heading 'Poligamie, ditsem!' (Yes, for polygamy!). In the article, Landman pondered whether polygamy - which is allowed in South Africa for indigenous cultures - would not be an advantage for the Afrikaans society where extra-marital affairs were allegedly high. There was an immediate and long-running reaction to this article in the Afrikaans, as well as in the English media, nationally and internationally, in the printed media, as well as on radio and television. This article will isolate themes in the responding letters of Afrikaans readers. The rejection of polygamy by Afrikaans readers rests on arguments that it is unbiblical, dehumanising to women and impractical. On the other hand, those Afrikaans readers who opt for polygamy argue that multiple-partner-relationships can save marriages from ending in divorce because of extra-marital affairs and can lighten the burden on overworked women. Contribution: This article contributes to the debate on polygamy and in particular from the Afrikaans population in South Africa whose culture and religion forbid polygamy. The discussion and findings as thematised in this article contribute to a body of knowledge not been dealt with in academic research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores similar social experiences of South Africa in the English and Afrikaans literary systems respectively. It investigates the reflection of patriarchy as an ideological presupposition of South African society in the earliest writings of two South African writers, Olive Schreiner (1855-1920) and Maria Elizabeth Rothmann (1875-1975) (known as M. E. R.). In doing this, it offers a discussion of how these women's involvement in South African politics sought to address the situation that political rule during the late 1800s and early 1900s created for South African women in the broader context of the South African War. The practice of gender politics as a response to these social experiences is discussed, while the contribution of Schreiner's radical voice to the stereotyping of the Afrikaner woman is compared to the modest voice with which M. E. R. fought for the rights of these stereotyped women. The article concludes that the nature of, and similarities and differences between their feminist voices determined Schreiner's and M. E. R.'s contribution to their respective literary systems, as well as their contribution to English and Afrikaans prose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores similar social experiences of South Africa in the English and Afrikaans literary systems respectively. It investigates the reflection of patriarchy as an ideological presupposition of South African society in the earliest writings of two South African writers, Olive Schreiner (1855–1920) and Maria Elizabeth Rothmann (1875–1975) (known as M. E. R.). In doing this, it offers a discussion of how these women’s involvement in South African politics sought to address the situation that political rule during the late 1800s and early 1900s created for South African women in the broader context of the South African War. The practice of gender politics as a response to these social experiences is discussed, while the contribution of Schreiner’s radical voice to the stereotyping of the Afrikaner woman is compared to the modest voice with which M. E. R. fought for the rights of these stereotyped women. The article concludes that the nature of, and similarities and differences between their feminist voices determined Schreiner’s and M. E. R.’s contribution to their respective literary systems, as well as their contribution to English and Afrikaans prose.

Suspense remains a prime source of readerly interest, especially for readers of popular fiction. Successful crime novels, detective stories and thrillers, in particular, are often characterised as “riveting”, a “page-turner”, or as possessing the power to keep the reader “hooked”. In this article I set out to explore the notion of fictional suspense from a literary-narratological point of view. This article is therefore focused on the inner workings of the suspense text itself rather than a reception study or empirical study of reader responses. I begin by outlining several basic defi nitions and theories pertaining to suspense as a narratological construct in order to provide a conceptual framework within which specific novels can be discussed. Much has been written about fictional suspense over the years, but as a theoretical point of departure, I draw upon two seminal sources: Suspense: Conceptualisations, Theoretical Analyses, and Empirical Explorations (1996), compiled by Peter Vorderer, Hans J Wulff and Mike Friedrichsen (eds), and George N Dove’s Suspense in the Formula Story (1989). While admittedly somewhat dated, these sources remain as relevant as ever and provide a useful framework when attempting to defi ne a field as nebulous as that of suspense studies. In short, suspense may be defined as a noxious affective response to a fictional or dispositive structure with two logically opposed outcomes, one of which is evil or immoral but probable or likely, and the other of which is moral but improbable or unlikely (Carroll, 1996). This noxious affective response is elicited in the reader to the extent that he/she is concerned about the existence of some credible endangerment to the welfare of a protagonist(s) with whom he/ she has formed a dispositionally mediated connection. Suspense is evaluated not only in moral terms (good or bad) but also in terms of subjective certainty. Suspense intensifies a) the more the reader cares for a particular protagonist(s), b) the more terrible the perceived threat, and c) the higher the relative probability of an undesirable outcome (Zillmann, 1996). Suspense is therefore an affective response suffused with implicit moral judgements. Inevitably, questions arise around readerly involvement: How exactly could readers be prompted to care about entirely fictional events and entities as if they were, in fact, real? To address this issue, I go on to discuss several theories of readerly involvement including identification, scenic comprehension, vicarious witnessing, empathic distress, and affective perspective taking. Next, I discuss George Dove’s approach to popular suspense fiction – an approach which he calls process criticism. For Dove, reader readiness is key i.e., the extent to which a reader has been conditioned by previous encounters with a particular generic or conventional form such as the suspense thriller or detective novel. Implicitly embedded in the popular suspense story are, according to Dove, two axiomatic truths: 1) nothing in the suspense tale is entirely irrelevant, and 2) there will always be (some sort of) resolution in the end (Dove, 1989:18). I also find Dove’s explanatory analogies useful. One is the analogy of the author as “Lecturer Beside the Screen” (1989:23), who is continually pointing out things to the reader by way of textual cues. The other is his analogy of two dialogically opposed voices, the so-called “Voice of the Novel” and the “Voice of Cognition” (1989:28), which produce yet another source of metatextual tension for the reader of suspense fi ction. Having concluded the theoretical section of the article, I dive into a discussion of three Afrikaans example texts: Prooi (2018) by Deon Meyer, Die versoeking van Thomas Maas (2020) by Chris Karsten, and Hartedief (2021) by Rudie van Rensburg. These three novels were selected because they were each awarded the ATKV-Woordveertjie vir Spanningslektuur (currently the most prominent literary prize for suspense fiction in Afrikaans). Prooi is essentially a political drama with the two major suspense arcs centred on the theme of state capture. While the protagonists are, respectively, an assassin-with-a-conscience and two honest policemen, it is ultimately the fate of South Africa that is on the line. The heroes’ struggle is therefore rooted in a deeper historical battle against injustice. The stakes could hardly be higher. In terms of the suspense process, Prooi makes ample use of the conventions of the spy thriller and the hard-boiled police procedural, and culminates in a gripping double-barrel fi nale. Die versoeking van Thomas Maas chiefl y concerns adultery and may be regarded as domestic noir. In this novel, it is the idealised fantasy of the happy, suburban family life that threatens to be destroyed by a femme fatale. The novel is presented as a retelling of Ella Neser’s private investigation (Ella being a well-known sleuth in many of Karsten’s previous novels). Erotic tension plays a pivotal role in the elicitation of suspense, but in the end Die versoeking van Thomas Maas resembles a Shakespearian tragedy – as suggested by many of the intertextual references in the novel – since the truth proves to be elusive and complicated. Hartedief is a psychological thriller. The association between the serial killer’s bloodlust and inclement weather (what may be termed atmospheric suspense), alongside the many macabre and often grisly descriptions of murder victims, contribute strongly to the suspense in Hartedief. A secondary suspense are – that of corrupt policemen and ruthless gangsters – fuels the primary storyline in that the conspirators represent an additional obstacle to the two honourable detective-protagonists’ cause. In all three novels, we find recurring serial characters that are expected to influence readers’ moral dispositions from the outset. Furthermore, the strategic use of narrative focalisation and reader privilege (also known as dramatic irony) play a significant role in the evocation of suspense. In all three cases, Prooi, Die versoeking van Thomas Maas and Hartedief, moral valence turned out to be more ambiguous and nuanced than the theory outlined in section 2 of the article suggests. Characters are mostly portrayed as polyvalent, with both “good” and “evil” traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I set out to introduce the Garment Workers Union (GWU) prose as a neglected part of Afrikaans-language literature. I offer an overview of texts written or translated by the GWU members and published in the official trade union organ Die Klerewerker/The Garment Worker. The presented workers' reading list is divided into original Afrikaans writings and translations from English into Afrikaans. All these texts offered the newly created white working class a new identification, manoeuvring between belonging to the national imagined community of Afrikaners based on the concept of nation and whiteness, and to a transnational workers' community based on the category of class. Looking at the impact of the Dutch and English language traditions in South Africa, I propose that the way in which European conventions made their way to Afrikaans literature, was class-based. Textsrecognized as artistic, incorporated in the Afrikaans literary canon, drew heavily on Dutch tradition. The English language turned out to be the medium that also circulated a less elitist thought. Therefore, it was English that enabled the movement of texts from Europe and the United States to South Africa that shaped the South African white working-class, including its Afrikaner part. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surfactants are versatile compounds used in our everyday lives. These compounds are constituents of, for example, cleaning agents, fuel additives, cosmetic products, medicines, and construction materials. It is essential to comprehend the surface and bulk flow properties of surfactants. The physicochemical properties of surfactants can be utilized to make well-informed decisions and to synthesize surfactants purposefully for specific applications. Physicochemical properties, including surface saturation concentration, critical micelle concentration, Krafft point and cloud point, can influence the effectiveness and efficiency of a surfactant. These properties can also be manipulated by altering conditions such as temperature and surfactant concentration. Knowledge of the functioning of surfactants in aqueous solutions can lead to improvements in various consumer goods. Furthermore, there is limited Afrikaans literature available concerning surfactants. Therefore, this review article serves as an Afrikaans introduction to the operation of surfactants in aqueous solutions and at an air-water interface. Since non-ionic surfactants are commonly found in commerce, the operation of surfactants is primarily explained with reference to these compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article I analyse the criticism surrounding two songs from a well-known collection of oral prose narratives told by a San performer, transcribed by the white Afrikaans author Eugène Marais and published as Dwaalstories (Wandering tales) first in 1921 as magazine stories and then in 1927 as a book. The songs, "Die towenares" (The sorceress) and "Hart-van-die-dagbreek" (Heart-of-the-daybreak), both form part of the oral prose narrative "Die Reënbul" (The Rain Bull). Designating these lyrical texts as 'songs' is a conscious choice, considering that they have been interpreted as poems ever since Marais extracted them from the Dwaalstories and included them in his collected poems in 1925 and later collections. My argument is that these lyrical texts function in the same way in "Die Reënbul" as songs do in most oral prose narratives (or, folktales) from Africa. Their designation as poems has however resulted in attempts at analysis in which their oral origin is ignored, misunderstood, or undervalued. One such study is the text-immanent 'structural analysis' performed by Merwe Scholtz. I briefly critique a few other studies about (the songs in) "The Rain Bull", finding that while they are more sophisticated than that of Scholtz, there are still significant inaccuracies. Though the scope of my article is limited, I also make the case for a context-driven interpretation of all the songs contained in the Dwaalstories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we canvass some of the ideas around Hein Willemse's focus on hidden histories, conscious oppositionality, and literature that falls outside the canon, which began to coalesce following contemporary calls for decolonial approaches in the (South) African academy. While the decolonial turn has focused attention on shared histories within Global South contexts, it is through Willemse's postcolonial teachings that we first came to understand the importance and meaning of reclaiming the lost African ontological space. This article is, therefore, located in postcolonial and decolonial scholarship in the sense that it is not driven by a particular method but rather by questions that emerged from larger social contexts. We draw on Willemse's visionary understanding of the importance of hidden histories and what it might mean to listen with postcolonial and/or decolonial ears. This, amongst other things, requires an acute awareness of history, heritage, and legacies both in society and in the academy. We incorporate a random selection of his work to unpack how his disruptive intervention serves to reformulate the idea of Afrikaans and Afrikaans literature in ways that are more inclusive of those silenced by the apartheid project, including Africa and the Global South at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review article explores how Ronelda S. Kamfer’s novel Kompoun (2021) deconstructs and diversifies the white patriarchal space of the plaas (farm) by reinscribing it with a highly situated ‘plaasfeminism’ emerging from the female characters in the novel. This critical reinscription through the lives of the McKinney women from the Overberg is necessary, but certainly not triumphant. For Nadia, the protagonist, the idyll of the plaas consists of her admiration of and longing for her maternal forebears and thus provides a source of strength and personhood, but the plaas is also quite literally the scene of a crime from which her family fails to protect her. Kompoun complicates mainstream notions of feminist resistance by charting the internal contradictions of female subjectivity and highlighting the vulnerable position of the McKinney children, who grow up in a community where both adult men and women pose a threat of emotional and physical abandonment and abuse. Yet, in times of need, Nadia manages to mobilise her personal image of the plaas’ beauty as motherly and the women who live there as tough as coping strategies that suspend her imprisonment in the harmful dynamics around her.

Intertwined in a living world: The conversation about Ingrid Jonker on Instagram. Ingrid Jonker is a legend in Afrikaans literature who is sometimes compared with figures such as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and James Dean. Because she is such an important figure in Afrikaans literature, the current study examines the conversation around her on the social media platform, Instagram. The current study conducts an analysis of hashtags used in conjunction with #ingridjonker in order to determine which texts, people, places, films, musicians, plays, visual arts, emotions and the like are associated with her on this platform. Her strong connection with André P. Brink is highlighted and it is also shown how she remains relevant across language and medium boundaries.

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This article analyses the reception of the book Benigna van Groenekloof of Mamre (1873) in South African literary and historical compendiums and scientific articles, and is an attempt to determine its genre. This anonymous publication has been frequently - and incorrectly - presented as the oldest book in Afrikaans written by an author of colour. This contribution rectifies this misconception: discussing Benigna against its historical background, it introduces the text's actual author as well specifies its language. Moreover, the article postulates that more attention in the history of South African literature should be paid to the religious literature of the Moravian Brethren. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review article explores how Ronelda S. Kamfer's novel Kompoun (2021) deconstructs and diversifies the white patriarchal space of the plaas (farm) by reinscribing it with a highly situated 'plaasfeminism' emerging from the female characters in the novel. This critical reinscription through the lives of the McKinney women from the Overberg is necessary, but certainly not triumphant. For Nadia, the protagonist, the idyll of the plaas consists of her admiration of and longing for her maternal forebears and thus provides a source of strength and personhood, but the plaas is also quite literally the scene of a crime from which her family fails to protect her. Kompoun complicates mainstream notions of feminist resistance by charting the internal contradictions of female subjectivity and highlighting the vulnerable position of the McKinney children, who grow up in a community where both adult men and women pose a threat of emotional and physical abandonment and abuse. Yet, in times of need, Nadia manages to mobilise her personal image of the plaas's beauty as motherly and the women who live there as tough as coping strategies that suspend her imprisonment in the harmful dynamics around her. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

‘White’ poverty and ‘white’ privilege in selected Afrikaans novels for young adults. This article examines the representation of ‘white’ poverty in selected Afrikaans novels for young adults published between 1990 and 2014: Droomwa (1990) by Barrie Hough, Die optog van die aftjoppers (1994) by George Weideman, Vaselinetjie (2004) by Anoeschka von Meck, Roepman (2004) by Jan van Tonder, Lien se lankstaanskoene (2008) by Derick van der Walt and Iewers vlieg daar fairy dust (2014) by Marisa Haasbroek. In these novels, poverty functions as a feature of the so-called problem book and coming of age novel. The novels are analysed, however, by employing critical whiteness studies as an overarching theoretical framework. Indicators of the ‘white’ characters’ poverty are identified with regard to description, dialogue, actions and place with the aim of determining how and why these representations are evident in the novels. Apartheid is the backdrop for two of the novels; here, ‘white’ poverty is portrayed in a nostalgic manner. In the other novels, ‘white’ poverty is portrayed as irreconcilable with ‘whiteness’; ‘white’ privilege prevails.

This article analyses a selection of South African English and Afrikaans humorous and satirical poems and songs about the railways. They include a folksong, "The Kimberley Train", which dates back to the earliest expansion of the railways to the interior, and poems and songs from the 1960s to the early 90s. While Hugh Masekela raged at the condition of migrant miners, the target of the satire by English- and Afrikaans-speaking writers was the Afrikaner nation, its culture and history. Four of the poems are ballads in the heroic tradition. The characters featured are working-class Afrikaners, and the diction employed is a colloquial South African dialect consisting of modern slang, mixed English and Afrikaans, and Fanakalo. A common method of the humour and satire exploits the connotations of personal and place names. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the proseworks by coloured authors in the 1990s to analyze the voice of said writers in contemporary Afrikaans literature. Also cited are the coloured prose writers like Abraham Phillips, the effects of apartheid on the coloured community and ordinary people like powerlessness, suffering, and humiliation, and the novels of E. K. M. Dido.

This article contends that in the concluding phase of the twentieth century, several countries, including South Africa, which experienced a history of trauma, attempted to facilitate a new beginning by re-examining previously held certainties. In this sense utopia is replaced by heterotopia. It is argued that in this process of historical overhaul, Afrikaans literature played no small part and that historiography became a central concern in Afrikaans literature written in the last decade of the twentieth century. This article examines historiographical tendencies in three Afrikaans novels published after 1994, namely Die storie van Monia Peters (1996) by E.M.K. Dido, Vatmaar (1995) written by A.H.M. Scholtz and Kikoejoe (1996) by Etienne van Heerden. It is indicated how these texts revisit the silences surrounding the hegemony of the past and actively participate in a postcolonial symbolic overhaul. The article indicates how each one of the texts under discussion represents an attempt to register the personal experience of a traumatic history and in this process the testimony of victims is registered. However, each one of the texts under discussion explores the past by means of different kinds of historiographical constructions. The article concludes that the project of these texts and indeed of many texts not included in this examination is, in the words of Ashcroft et al (1995:356), borrowed from a different context, “… not simply to contest the message of history but also to engage the medium of narrativity itself; to reinscribe the heterogeneity of historical representation”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The portrayal of Islam in Afrikaans literature, whether by canonised authors or those writing from various marginalised sites, forms the essence of this research report, which has been motivated by an interest in the colonial connection between South Africa and an Islamitic country such as Indonesia. A historical context is presented, but the focus falls on Afrikaans texts published since the mid-twentieth century, and the presence of, challenges to and the undermining of long existing stereotypes. Works by various authors (canonised, marginalised, Islamic and non -Islamic) from different genres (novels, children’s literature, short stories, poetry, etc.) are included. In discussing these different texts, the conclusion is that the presence and representation of Islam in Afrikaans are much more widespread, diverse and ambigious than might have been expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article, the author comments on Ampie Coetzee's article about the discourse of Afrikaans writers and authorship. Other topics include the origin of the Afrikaans literary movement and nomenclature, the developments of women's writing and secondary academic research, and the use by Coetzee of the Foucauldian discourse analysis.

Writing in Afrikaans by the politically dispossessed became recognisable in the forties. In order to determine the size and quality of this literary production, a symposium was held in 1985, and again in 1995. The name then decided upon was Black Afrikaans Writers. The purpose of this study is to map the domain of the black writer in Afrikaans: the meaning of the name, the role of the writer and the nature of the writing, especially the language used – the Cape dialect of Afrikaans – during the time of apartheid. By making use of the concept of the discursive formation/practice as explained by Michel Foucault, the dispersion of statements forming themselves into a definite discourse is described. Ultimately, a small anti-hegemonic literature came into being, against the canon of Afrikaans literature. A comparison is finally made with Kafka’s articulation of such a small literature, as well as with Deleuze and Guattari’s essay on a ‘minor’ literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Historia is the property of Historical Association of South Africa and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper investigates the history of the De Burger-Leeskring and the impact it had on Afrikaans literature and cultural development. It places the development of Nasionale Pers and the Afrikaans language within the context of South Africa's history and the development of language, politics and culture, as well as considering book clubs or readers' circles and their purpose within this context. This paper uses Bourdieu's classification of different kinds of capital—specifically cultural capital and financial capital—to evaluate the success of this Leeskring [Reader's Circle]. It was found that although not financially successful, the Leeskring' s influence on Afrikaans literature was vast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Literator is the property of African Online Scientific Information System PTY LTD and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Meaningful, frank and even polemical academic discourse lies at the heart of scientific scholarship. Such a discourse as a bartering of ideas should be governed by the same felicity conditions (Austen, 1962) namely “quantity”, “quality”, “relation” and “manner” as any other discourse. If these conditions are not met a discourse cannot be fully actualized. This implies appreciation for valuable insights, truthful and succinct rendition of the opponent’s views and relevance and fairness in your response. It will enhance intersubjectivity – one of the most important features of any scientific endeavour. This reaction to John (2005) tries to meet these conditions in refraining from personal attestations and rather concentrating on differences pertaining to theoretical issues. The focus is therefore on methodological aspects underpinning all scientific scholarship.

The dog is a universal, archetypical symbol of fidelity and loyalty. However, in literature—and especially in South African literature—the dog (as well as the hyena and the wolf) often symbolises the diabolical. In some instances the dog is also symbolic of the dark side of human nature, of dehumanisation and even of death. The canine symbol in Afrikaans literature has both European and African origins. When canines appear in their natural (literal) form in Afrikaans poems and narratives, they are for the most part portrayed in a positive (compassionate) way. As soon as they appear in a figurative (allegorical) capacity though, as a symbol or metaphor, they mostly represent something ominous. The ambivalent nature of dogs—they are both caring and brutal—is reflected in Afrikaans literature. In this article the contradictory (symbolic) depiction of canines will be explored in various Afrikaans poems and novels. This article thus falls within the framework of animal studies, the interdisciplinary field which analyses how nonhuman animals are portrayed and viewed within literature.