Masters Degrees (History)

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Almal kom na Lubbe" : die skoenmakerverhaal van A.P. Lubbe en Seun (Edms.) Bpk. 1918-2001
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2007-03) Van Eeden, Suzanne; Ehlers, Anton; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
The thesis “ ‘Almal kom na Lubbe: Die skoenmakerverhaal van A.P. Lubbe en Seun (Edms) Bpk, 1918-2001”, is an attempt to investigate the history of a family business spanning three generations against the background of the general socio-economic and political circumstances during the period 1918-2001. In 1918, at the time of the start of industrialisation in South Africa, Andries Petrus Lubbe started a bridle and shoe repair business en Bird Street, Stellenbosch. To him this business was the beginning of the realization of a dream to own his own shoe factory. During the 1940’s Andries Lubbe started experimenting with the manufacturing of shoes. This experiment was successful and encouraged his eldest son, Willem, to join the business in 1943. In 1948 after Willem completed his training in shoe technology in Britain, the business was officially registered as a private company. In 1956 Lubbe opened a shoe factory near Du Toit Station in Stellenbosch. This was the start of an era of mass production and mechanization in the company. Willem Lubbe was solely in charge of the factory and against the background of the economic affluence of the sixties the company prospered. In 1970 Andries Lubbe died and Willem Lubbe became the sole owner of the family business. In 1976, André Lubbe, Willem’s only son, joined the business. Against the setting of the unfavourable economic circumstances of the late seventies and eighties, André Lubbe succeeded to guide the company towards the niche market field by manufacturing speciality shoes, e.g. “Trailbuster” hiking boots. The nineties were characterised by unstable political and socio-economic conditions associated with South Africa’s transition to democracy and Lubbe suffered as a consequence. In an attempt to overcome the problems André tried to make the company more internationally orientated and Lubbe International was therefore established in 1994. This was not successful and by 1999 it was clear that Lubbe would not be able to function any longer. Some of the brand names were sold to another shoe manufacturer, Corrida Shoes, and in 2001, the doors of A.P. Lubbe and Son (Pty) Ltd were finally closed.
The biography of Dr Hannah-Reeve Sanders, the first female Chief Medical Superintendent of Groote Schuur Hospital
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-03) Bloch, Leila R.; Ehlers, Anton; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Known by the phrase, ‘The country girl who did good,’ Dr Hannah-Reeve-Sanders was committed to the idea of becoming a doctor from a young age. Through a biographical sketch beginning in 1928 until 1998, this thesis explores the influences that informed her rural JewishAfrikaans upbringing in Piketberg. This continues through to her studies in Cape Town and subsequent working life as the first woman to hold the position of Chief Medical Superintendent at Groote Schuur Hospital from 1976 to 1986. Sanders’ story, in particular, serves as a critical lens from the perspective of a female doctor into notions of ‘achievement’ and ‘success’ within the medical field in South Africa during the middle to late 20th century. By situating Sanders’ biographical perspective within the context of the history of South African women in medicine, this thesis brings into relief the tensions between clinical and administrative medicine and the ‘costs’ of navigating a successful career within a maledominated profession, as well as an institutional framework under the constraints of external political forces. Through Sanders one can challenge one-dimensional, idealised portrayals of what it means to achieve status as a doctor, by highlighting the gaps and complexities within her life story. This study further illustrates how she ambitiously subscribed to the paradigm of a good doctor from a young age. Hannah’s parents' journey to South Africa typifies a South African Jewish migration story. However, it was elements of her Afrikaner identity that would allow her freedom to adapt and lead institutions during her career. From another perspective, Sanders’ choice to follow a seemingly unassuming path later into administrative medicine yielded influence and saw her adapt to key historical moments such as the first heart transplant. Bearing in mind the constraints imposed by the provincial government at the time, this study assesses whether she was able to break barriers or to ‘toe the line’ in her leadership position. With respect to a careful rendering of the historical context, coupled with her later responses in interviews, the study aims to evaluate the extent to which she brought humanising elements and ‘integrity’ into a ‘compromised’ institution. It places into relief the environments which influenced her and how she may have influenced her environment. Through her experiences we come to understand issues regarding race, gender, and class in the medical institutions in which she operated, and the extent to which these obstacles determined her responses. Steering clear of hagiography, this study does not seek to idealise or embellish any of her achievements, but rather depict how our subject is situated within the historical context. Sanders’ achievements come to be understood alongside the complex environments from which such ambitions and opportunities to practise medicine emerge. It demonstrates that while there were significant attempts on her part to transcend social and political constraints, she remained accountable to structures of power which may have influenced her actions.
Competing audio-visual industries : a business history of the influence of SABC-TV on the Afrikaans cinematic film industry, c.1976-c.1986
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-12) Coetzee, Coenraad Johannes; Ehlers, Anton; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis endeavours to detail the business history of the Afrikaans cinematic film industry and the economic influence of the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s¹ Television Service on the Afrikaans cinematic film industry over the period 1976 to 1986. The introduction of TV services in countries abroad had a profound (often detrimental) influence on their respective cinematic film industries. It would clearly be wrong to argue that these countries experienced identical influences. Each country has a distinctive political, cultural and socio-economic framework/context in which its industries operate, therefore creating sets of challenges for industries attempting to adhere to the prevailing conditions. South Africa was no exception, though the emphasis of this thesis is on the Afrikaans cinematic film industry, since Afrikaners dominated the local industry (regarding film production, distribution and screening)² when South Africa’s television services commenced in 1975. Numerous factors stemming from South Africa’s pre-Television era contributed to the Afrikaner’s dominance of South African cinema, including the role of the apartheid state (for example, censorship regulations and the film subsidy scheme), the demands of the local and international market, foreign competition and, naturally, the ambitions and business approaches of the Afrikaans cinematic film companies. As such, the symbiotic relationship between these forces is reflected upon so as to illustrate the formation, progression and characteristics of the industry when it attempted to adapt to the impact of local TV services. Accordingly, the advent, birth and progression of the SABC and its TV services are examined. National TV was introduced in South Africa only in 1976 - relatively late considering the country was the economic power-house of the African continent and that its much smaller and subordinate neighbouring state, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), had already been transmitting TV broadcasts from 1960. Therefore, this research also examines whether the Afrikaans cinematic film industry could utilise foreign countries as case studies to develop and implement strategies, which could counter the financial threats posed by television. The timeframe covered in this reflection stretches from 1895 (the birth of South Africa’s cinematic industry) to 1986, as Electronic Media Network (M-Net), South Africa’s first independent Pay-TV service, was introduced in October of that year – thus transforming the face of SA’s TV industry. The focal point of the study is the impact of SABC-TV on Afrikaans film-making, since the government asserted a substantial degree of control over the public broadcaster, whilst the Afrikaans cinematic film industry (particularly its film producers) was heavily dependent on the financial assistance of the state. Assistance that was given as cinema presented government with an audio-visual mechanism to distribute its socio-cultural and political values and aims.
Enfranchised Africans and disfranchising legislations : an analysis of the educated landowners of Queenstown as an African middle class, c.1872-1909.
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-03) Visser, Beaurel; Fourie, Johan; Ehlers, Anton; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The right to vote in public political elections for parliamentary representatives in the Cape Colony was determined by various legislations reflected through the Cape franchise. For 34 years, Africans had the right to vote for parliamentary representatives in the Cape Colony under the Constitution Ordinance of 1853 with no barriers of racial discrimination. Under Responsible Government (1872-1909), franchise requirement became more stringent with the aim of excluding Africans from being able to vote given that they had started to register more frequently. The battle of an emerging African middle class against economic and political forces is explored through the analysis of the implementation of stringent disfranchising legislations implemented in 1887, 1892 and 1894. Newspapers are used alongside a range of government publications to illustrate how the effects of disfranchisement legislations in the Cape Colony were complex and more nuanced than has been explored in existing historiography. The study illustrates some of the effects disfranchisement legislations had on the enfranchised African middle class and uses the Queenstown electoral division as a lens through which it brings this into focus. The primary tools that were used to achieve disenfranchisement were land and education which are themes used throughout the study to demonstrate persistent voter registration of the African middle class despite the implementation of disfranchisement legislations. The study moves away from the emphasis of African political participation as a primary contributor to maintaining certain politicians in parliament but rather illuminates the agency of Africans who desired to participate in Cape politics through the franchise. What this study aims to contribute to historiography is a perspective on the views and experiences of Africans towards disfranchisement as expressed in a selection of newspapers. These African perspectives are complemented by a statistical analysis of the voters' rolls which more precisely determines the size of affected African voters and adds to an understanding of the extent to which Africans participated beyond 1887 with a focus on the Queenstown electoral division.
“A grievous injustice to the Chinese nation” : the role of the Qing Dynasty in supporting the South African Chinese
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-04) Conradie, Sias Vincent; Harris, Karen L.; Ehlers, Anton; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The establishment of the Qing Dynasty Consulate in South Africa, at the beginning of the twentieth century, marks the earliest official diplomatic contact between what could be considered the preceding states to modern-day China and South Africa.1 In light of the importance of the recent diplomatic relations between China and South Africa, it is pertinent to examine the situation which led to the initial diplomatic contact between the precursors of these two states. It is also important to consider what challenges these relations faced at this early stage. The Qing Dynasty Consulate in South Africa was established initially in response to the importation of a large body of indentured Chinese labourers into the Witwatersrand area.2 The arrival of somewhere near 60 000 indentured Chinese labourers between 1904 and 1907 led to a series of legislative actions in the Cape and Transvaal, which specifically targeted the Chinese for discrimination.3 Foremost among these were the Cape Chinese Exclusion Act, the Labour Importation Ordinance and the Asiatic Registration Act. The well-documented historical apathy of the Qing Dynasty towards their overseas subjects has often led to a lack of examination of what efforts were made, at an official level, by the Dynasty to assist Chinese populations in overseas colonies.4 Often, instead, the Dynasty was simply assumed to have remained apathetic to its distant subjects for its entire existence. This is the case for the Qing Dynasty’s involvement with the governments of the Cape Colony, Transvaal and Union of South Africa.5 The active resistance of the Chinese themselves against this discrimination has been analysed before, particularly in the comprehensive works of Karen Harris6, but the role played by the Consul-Generals of the Qing Dynasty has been usually under-examined or ignored.7 Evidence clearly indicates that the Consul-Generals Liu Yu Lin and Liu Ngai played an active role in supporting the Chinese communities, both free and indentured, within South Africa during their tenure. Through an analysis of the actions taken by these two Consul-Generals in both the Cape Colony and Transvaal Colony the extent of their support for the Chinese within South Africa becomes clear. Although their efforts would, ultimately, have little substantive effect on the discrimination the South African Chinese faced, it did create an institution which would be consistently utilized by future generations of South African Chinese to resist prejudice.8
A history of De Beukelaer’s Fabrieken, with specific reference to its corporate social responsibility (1885-1929)
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-12) Passemiers, Lazlo; Ehlers, Anton; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis analyses corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Belgium in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century by making use of a case study on the history of the biscuit company De Beukelaer’s Fabrieken between 1885 and 1929. During this period De Beukelaer’s Fabrieken managed to establish itself and its brand firmly in the international food industry and, besides its reputation for its products, also became known for its extensive CSR policy. The thesis analyses and determines the character of the CSR policy implemented at De Beukelaer’s Fabrieken by examining the various forms of CSR the company practiced during this period, and which rested on three distinct pillars, namely welfare services, leisure, and educational initiatives. Both in terms of implementation and characteristics the company’s policy was certainly not unique. In addition, the thesis also establishes some of the motives for the implementation of the De Beukelaer’s Fabrieken’s CSR policy by its owners and management. It is difficult to determine, however, what the exact reasons were for the implementation and development of De Beukelaer’s Fabrieken’s CSR. The company’s policy was influenced by both the changes and developments that were occurring in its wider environment as well as the changes and developments that occurred within the company, its owners and its management; the company’s CSR policy was thus a product of action and reaction, driven by both conscious as well as subconscious motivations that were influenced by various causes, both internal as well as external. By determining the character, nature and influence of the company’s CSR policy, as well as the motivation behind it, the thesis attempts to gain a better understanding of this particular aspect of the company’s history, an aspect that formed a significantly defining feature of De Beukelaer’s Fabrieken between 1885 and 1929.
If you had been a man you would have gone a very long way… : the public and private politics of Emeline du Toit, 1898–c. 1948
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-03) McRae, Cailin; Ehlers, Anton; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Born as the youngest child of two of the most prominent Afrikaners of the 19th and 20th centuries, Emeline du Toit lived an explicitly political life, embodying her beliefs through her actions during some of the most important periods of Afrikaner nationalist development. With an innate ability to marry the public and private aspects of her life, Emmie used her personal connections to her benefit while working in the uppermost rungs of the National Party in the 1930s and 40s as one of a handful of women who were part and parcel of the decision-making processes. She would later join the right-wing, fascist group, the Ossewabrandwag, when she felt that the party was being weighed down by personal politics as opposed to working toward a notion of volkseenheid [unity of the nation/people] and the republican ideal she held on to with particular fervour. This work contributes to the broader body of the nationalist Afrikaner historiography and while illustrating the life of an outspoken and politically driven Afrikaner woman, who may otherwise have been known only by the footnotes marking the pages of biographies of the men she regarded as her friends and colleagues.
Keith Blundell, on and off stage : the life of Keith Blundell, 1927-2002
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-12) Webber, Marion; Lambrechts, Lizabe; Ehlers, Anton; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This biographical study explores the life and career of Keith Blundell, with references to the South African Folk Music Association (SAFMA), and the careers of some of South Africa’s prominent English Folk Musicians, including Jeremy Taylor, Jill Kirkland, Andy Dillon, David Marks and Des Lindberg. Little academic work has been done on the English Folk Music movement in South Africa and on Keith Blundell’s contribution to this movement and his work as a musician. Keith Blundell, born in 1927, went from being a sports lover to being a performer and entertainer in South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. He was one of the early proponents of original English Folk Music in South Africa, despite only learning to play the guitar when he was 30 years old. Blundell’s career highlights include opening one of the first folk clubs in South Africa, the Troubadour, with Des Lindberg in 1964. This club played an influential role in establishing and developing the folk music movement in South Africa. Relating to his role at the Troubadour, Keith Blundell played a leading role in the South African Folk Music Association (SAFMA). SAFMA, formed in 1966, was responsible for arranging events and fundraising shows for musicians and encouraging the composition of original South African folk songs through song-writing competitions. Apart from his involvement with SAFMA, Blundell organised a year-long tour with his family in 1970 and travelled all over South Africa and Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia), performing folk music concerts in small churches and city halls along their route. His wife and children, Caroline, Julie, Jonny and Teper, all performed with him during this tour. In 1976, shortly after the introduction of television, the Blundell family featured in one of the first family-friendly television shows to showcase local folk music. In the 1980s, Keith Blundell shifted his focus from folk music to country music and continued performing with his wife, Pamela, until 1989, when he became paralysed in a motorcycle accident. They eventually moved to Cape Town, where they stayed until his death in 2002. This biographical study recounts the life and career of Keith Blundell and also touches on the lives of the folk musicians who performed with him and the events that formed part of the South African English Folk Music movement.
Responses by black women to race and gender dynamics under South African Apartheid with special reference to the Black Consciousness Movement
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2002-03) Lorenz, Nicole; Ehlers, Anton; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Black women's oppression under apartheid was based on four interacting forces: race, class, gender and nationality. Although this rendered their status in both feminist and anti-apartheid policies unique, it was never addressed as such. The national liberation movement defined women's role in the struggle in male dominated terms and did not acknowledge 'gender' as a legitimate political issue until the 1980s. There were no official restrictions that impeded women's participation in national politics. It was rather the failure of parties to adequately address their social disabilities resulting from legal minority, geographical isolation and social marginalisation, that prevented women from participating on an equal level with men. The focus on women as 'significant others', as supportive mothers and wives, largely determined black women's self-perception and political consciousness. The growth of anti-apartheid movements principally went along with new formations of women's organisations. Gender struggles, however, appeared to be absent, since women's protests were indistinguishably bound up with other socio-political issues. Women's commitment to define themselves solely within the context of national liberation was highlighted in the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM), which called upon blacks to examine their psychological and physical oppression and to realise the power of self-definition. Although women took a far more assertive stance toward their subjugation as blacks, they entirely ignored the masculine nature of the language and ideological outlook of Black Consciousness (BC). BC writers tended to romanticise community life and gender relations, ignoring the actual dynamics of gender relations amongst blacks, thus reinforcing traditional hierarchical structures. Women participating in the upper ranks of the BCM saw their emancipation in terms of becoming 'honorary men.' Feminist movements taking place in the Western world at that time were overtly rejected by both men and women in South Africa. Women's entry into the public sphere of industrial production and national politics did not ineluctably lead to their emancipation. Nor had these steps been motivated by the sought for liberation from domesticity and traditional gender relations. It was a reaction to the way in which apartheid eroded their traditional solidity. Women's protest movements showed highly conservative features, as they affirmed obligations traditionally assigned to them as women and aggressively utilised entrenched stereotypes to tackle social injustice. Black women were not fighting for their personal rights as women but for their rights as mothers. The failure of . mainstream feminism to adequately address the nexus of race, class and gender which renders women's oppression in Third World societies, led to the acceptance of womanism. The latter Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za emerged in the late 1970s, gained momentum in the 1980s, and was closely related to both BC and Black Feminism. It seeks to re-define black women's social status and roles in positive and exclusively black terms, thereby frequently naturalising stereotypical definitions of femininity. Emphasising black women's defiant engagement with white racism, it identifies motherhood and wifehood in political terms. Due to its inclusive approach, however, womanism restrains from elaborating definite theories and political programmes.
Die standpunt van Die Burger teenoor die Suid-Afrikaanse Waarheids- en Versoeningskommissie, 1990-2003
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2007-03) Baard, Marissa; Ehlers, Anton; Swart, Sandra; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) may be described as one of the most important events in the recent South African past. The TRC’s activities included an examination of gross human rights violations between 1960 and 1994, as well as amnesty hearings for those believed to be guilty of human rights violations. In addition, the TRC had to decide on the possibilities for reparations to victims, and had to compile a comprehensive report on the nature of the abovementioned violations. This process was shrouded in controversy. For example, criticism was levelled at the TRC because of the perception that it was intended as a witch-hunt against Afrikaners. The danger of subjectivity was also mentioned often. How was the public kept up to date about the activities of the TRC? The media played an important role in the distribution of information to those who could not readily attend the various hearings of the TRC.
“Van Niekerk & Krupp : from general agricultural machinery dealer to specialist manufacturers of agricultural planting machinery, c. 1928-2022”
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-12) Van der Colff, Simone; Ehlers, Anton; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation is the history of a family business over three generations, co-established by an Afrikaans and Jewish family. The development of the business is placed against the framework of general socio-economic, political, and technological trends and the mechanisation of the South African wheat industry from 1928 to 2022. The saying, “change is the only constant in life”, by Heraclitus, characterises the nature of the development of Van Niekerk & Krupp from a small grain dealership and milling business to an agricultural planting machinery specialist over the course of nearly a century. Throughout its history, and apart from its daily operations and challenges, Van Niekerk & Krupp experienced an unlikely partnership between a Jewish and Afrikaans-speaking family, the integration of two more brothers from each family from the first generation, the establishment of a wholly owned subsidiary in the motor industry, the co-ownership and management of a multi-generational business from 1972 to 1993 and finally an official separation between uncle and nephew and the continuation of separate businesses by a new generation. This dissertation attempts to analyse the characteristics and trends of Van Niekerk & Krupp’s development to understand its survival better. It is done by investigating the various developmental phases of Van Niekerk & Krupp against the challenge of survival, the “Buddenbrooks Effect”, and the “Multi-generational Family Business Model”. In the process, the thesis investigates the influence of the founders’ legacy, family capital, decision-making and the embeddedness of the Van Niekerk and Krupp families in the business. This dissertation attempts to contribute to a broader family business historiography while enriching the South African family business historiography pool.

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