Doctoral Degrees (Music)

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Music) by Author "De Jongh, Martha Susanna"

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    Music and Militarisation during the period of the South African Border War (1966-1989) : Perspectives from Paratus
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-12) De Jongh, Martha Susanna; Muller, Stephanus; Van der Waag, Ian
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the absence of literature of the kind, this study addresses the role of music in militarising South African society during the time of the South African Border War (1966-1989). The War on the border between Namibia and Angola took place against the backdrop of the Cold War, during which the apartheid South African government believed that it had to protect the last remnants of Western civilization on the African continent against the communist onslaught. Civilians were made aware of this perceived threat throughvarious civilian and military channels, which included the media, education and the private business sector. The involvement of these civilian sectors in the military resulted in the increasing militarisation of South African society through the blurring of boundaries between the civilian and the military. Examples include where civilians were madeaware of the military effort and where they were militarily prepared from a young age through school visits, participation in para-military activities, and the school cadet system, leading to conscription. While some actively participated in the war through conscription, those at home were drawn into the effort by means of supporting roles. Through a perusal of the former South African Defence Force (SADF) magazine, Paratus (formerly known as Commando), this study investigates the role of music in these processes of militarisation. This dissertation includes descriptions of official military structures such as bands and choirs and their participation at civilian and military events. This does not exclude civilian groups and individual musicians who participated in military environments. The performance of non-military music by military bands, and the involvement of civilian musicians in military environments indicate how military ideals were transferred through the re-contextualisation of music as it was framed by the military environment. Other structures implicated in these processes included broadcasting and how the message of the military was conveyed through programmes, with music as vehicle, directed towards civilians and soldiers alike, contributing towards the construct of the soldier and the collective military effort. By means of numerous examples gleaned from Paratus, this study illustrates that music served as conduit in the process of militarisation of South African society.