Afrikanerskap as literêre motief 'n studie in teorie en praktyk met spesifieke verwysing na Afrikaanse tekste uit die veertiger- en tagtigerjare

Abstract

Die doel van hierdie studie was om vas te stel hoe die Afrikaner in literere tekste van die veertiger- en tagtigerjare uitgebeeld word, en of 'n vaste beskouing oor die begrip Afrikanerskap by die skrywers van die verskillende tekste bestaan. Omdat die verhouding tussen die gekose tekste en die geskiedenis telkens ondersoek is, is die Nuwe Historisistiese benadering as geskikte teoretiese model gevolg. Waar hierdie benadering die klem op die realiteit plaas, stel die lmagologie die beeld voorop, en die lmagologiese werkswyse is dus aanvullend gevolg. Omdat die tekste van veertig hoofsaaklik as koloniale literatuur beskou kan word, en die tekste van tagtig as postkoloniaal van aard, is die koloniale en postkoloniale literatuur in Afrikaans kortliks ondersoek. Die studie het verder gepoog om deeglik verkenning van die begrippe Afrikaner en Afrikanerskap te doen aan die hand van verskillende narratiewe tekste wat nie noodwendig literer van aard is nie. Alhoewel daar by die herlees van die vier en twintig literere tekste van die veertigerjare gevind is dat die tekste hoofsaaklik nog as koloniale literatuur beskou kan word, is die interessante insig verwerf dat sekere tekste wat nie deel van die kanon vorm nie, 'n ander realiteit oor die Afrikaner en oor Afrikanerskap aan die leser voorhou as wat tradisioneel die geval was. So is byvoorbeeld bevind dat die strukture wat die Afrikanermaghebber sedert die veertigerjare geskep het, die belange van die Afrikanerdom moes dien. Deur die herlees van die tekste kon die gegewe opnuut ge'interpreteer word en kon nodige aanpassings dus by aanvaarde opvattings gemaak word. Die ondersoek het verder aan die lig gebring dat veral die tekste uit die tagtigerjare verruimend ingewerk het op bestaande, geykte opvattinge oor die Afrikaner en Afrikanerskap en dat sulke opvattinge deur die tekste ondermyn, ontluister of bloot ontken word. Ten slotte het dit duidelik geword dat daar geen eensydige of stabiele betekenis oor die begrippe Afrikaner en van Afrikanerskap uit die verskillende tekste afgelei kon word nie

The purpose of this study was to determine how the Afrikaner was depicted in the literary texts of the forties and the eighties, and to determine whether the authors of the different texts expresses fixed views of the concept Afrikanerskap. As the relationship between the chosen texts and history had been investigated several times, the New Historisistic approach was adopted as a suitable theoretical model. As this approach places the emphasis on reality, and the lmagology sees the image as the most important, lmagological procedures were used additionally. Because the texts of the forties can be seen as mainly colonial of nature and the texts of the eighties as post colonial, the colonial and post colonial literature in Afrikaans was briefly investigated. The study further attempted to thoroughly investigate the concepts Afrikaner and Afrikanerskap with reference to different narrative texts which are not necessarily literary of nature. Although the rereading of twenty four literary texts of the forties confirms that the texts could mainly be seen as colonial literature, the interesting conclusion was made that certain texts not included in the canon gave the reader another reality of Afrikaner and Afrikanerskap than was traditionally the case. It was found, for example, that structures created by Afrikaner authorities since the forties were created to serve the needs of the Afrikanerdom. The rereading of these specific texts led to new interpretations and the necessary adaptations could be done to previously accepted views. The research further indicated that texts from the eighties especially had a broadening effect on existing hackneyed conceptions of Afrikaner and Afrikanerskap and that such views are undermined, clouded or simply ignored by the texts. In conclusion it became clear that no onesided or static interpretation of the concepts Afrikaner and Afrikanerskap could be derived from the different texts