- Author
- Rafaël Verbuyst (UGent)
- Promoter
- Berber Bevernage (UGent) , William Ellis and Hanne Cottyn (UGent)
- Organization
- Abstract
- Decimated and dispossessed, the Khoisan of South Africa were assimilated alongside several others into the racial group ‘Coloured’ during colonialism and apartheid. Many no longer think of them as a distinct collective, particularly in urban settings, but an increasing number of people are identifying as Khoisan in the post-apartheid era. ‘Khoisan revivalism’ entails cultural performances and campaigns for socio-economic development and recognition. Many Khoisan revivalists also claim indigenous rights, traditional leadership titles and land. I draw primarily on longitudinal fieldwork in Cape Town to scrutinize Khoisan revivalism’s origins, appeal and political aspirations. I focus on the various ways historical events, figures and practices inform diverse articulations of Khoisan indigeneity. In practicing a form of “therapeutic history” (Niezen 2009), Khoisan revivalists are primarily seeking a relatable connection with the past and select sources, mediums and content accordingly. In simultaneously replicating, disregarding and appropriating colonial representations, Khoisan revivalists produce a ‘subversive authenticity’. Against the backdrop of the South African politics of indigeneity, Khoisan revivalism not only embodies an empowering potential, but also poses a range of conundrums in the realm of entitlement claims.
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8708438
- MLA
- Verbuyst, Rafaël. Khoisan Consciousness : Articulating Indigeneity in Post-Apartheid Cape Town. Ghent University. Faculty of Arts and Philosophy ; University of the Western Cape, 2021.
- APA
- Verbuyst, R. (2021). Khoisan Consciousness : articulating indigeneity in post-apartheid Cape Town. Ghent University. Faculty of Arts and Philosophy ; University of the Western Cape, Ghent, Belgium ; Cape Town, South Africa.
- Chicago author-date
- Verbuyst, Rafaël. 2021. “Khoisan Consciousness : Articulating Indigeneity in Post-Apartheid Cape Town.” Ghent, Belgium ; Cape Town, South Africa: Ghent University. Faculty of Arts and Philosophy ; University of the Western Cape.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Verbuyst, Rafaël. 2021. “Khoisan Consciousness : Articulating Indigeneity in Post-Apartheid Cape Town.” Ghent, Belgium ; Cape Town, South Africa: Ghent University. Faculty of Arts and Philosophy ; University of the Western Cape.
- Vancouver
- 1.Verbuyst R. Khoisan Consciousness : articulating indigeneity in post-apartheid Cape Town. [Ghent, Belgium ; Cape Town, South Africa]: Ghent University. Faculty of Arts and Philosophy ; University of the Western Cape; 2021.
- IEEE
- [1]R. Verbuyst, “Khoisan Consciousness : articulating indigeneity in post-apartheid Cape Town,” Ghent University. Faculty of Arts and Philosophy ; University of the Western Cape, Ghent, Belgium ; Cape Town, South Africa, 2021.
@phdthesis{8708438,
abstract = {{Decimated and dispossessed, the Khoisan of South Africa were assimilated alongside several others into the racial group ‘Coloured’ during colonialism and apartheid. Many no longer think of them as a distinct collective, particularly in urban settings, but an increasing number of people are identifying as Khoisan in the post-apartheid era. ‘Khoisan revivalism’ entails cultural performances and campaigns for socio-economic development and recognition. Many Khoisan revivalists also claim indigenous rights, traditional leadership titles and land. I draw primarily on longitudinal fieldwork in Cape Town to scrutinize Khoisan revivalism’s origins, appeal and political aspirations. I focus on the various ways historical events, figures and practices inform diverse articulations of Khoisan indigeneity. In practicing a form of “therapeutic history” (Niezen 2009), Khoisan revivalists are primarily seeking a relatable connection with the past and select sources, mediums and content accordingly. In simultaneously replicating, disregarding and appropriating colonial representations, Khoisan revivalists produce a ‘subversive authenticity’. Against the backdrop of the South African politics of indigeneity, Khoisan revivalism not only embodies an empowering potential, but also poses a range of conundrums in the realm of entitlement claims.}},
author = {{Verbuyst, Rafaël}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{XVIII, 437}},
publisher = {{Ghent University. Faculty of Arts and Philosophy ; University of the Western Cape}},
school = {{Ghent University}},
title = {{Khoisan Consciousness : articulating indigeneity in post-apartheid Cape Town}},
year = {{2021}},
}