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An Exploration of the Communication Strategies of Three Early Think Tanks University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2018-04-20 An exploration of the communication strategies of three early think tanks Hexham, Jeremy Johnston Hexham, J. J. (2018). An exploration of the communication strategies of three early think tanks (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/31819 http://hdl.handle.net/1880/106533 doctoral thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY An exploration of the communication strategies of three early think tanks by Jeremy Johnston Hexham A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA STUDIES CALGARY, ALBERTA APRIL, 2018 © Jeremy Johnston Hexham 2018 Abstract This thesis discusses the development of communications strategies by three early think tanks. These are the British Socialist Fabian Society founded in 1884, the South African Afrikaner Broederbond founded in 1918, and the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) founded in 1929. All three are generally accepted as highly influential organizations. The Fabian Society is arguably the earliest modern think tank. Its members developed two modes of communication which are identified in this thesis as rational-scientific and cultural-identity communications. In practice the Fabian Society concentrated on rational-scientific communications. The Afrikaner Broederbond developed cultural-identity communications while the SAIRR primarily used rational-scientific communications combined with the strategic use of cultural- identity communications. All three organizations had a major impact on their host societies for good and ill. The Fabians and the Broederbond were the most effective although the long-term influence of the SAIRR should not be underestimated. What the thesis does is create a vocabulary for understanding certain types of think tank communications and provides a framework for the future study and discussion of political communications. i Preface This thesis is based upon archival sources, primary printed documents, and research interviews which are discussed in Appendices One and Two. The primary archive used was the London School of Economics digital library which contains the archives of the Fabian Society. Original printed sources included a large collection of documents published by the South African Institute of Race Relations which are part of a private collection housed in Calgary. Work on the Afrikaner Broederbond depended mainly on research interviews that complied with the Canadian Tri-Council agreement and the University of Calgary’s Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board. ii Acknowledgements My thanks and deep appreciation for all their support goes to everyone who was involved in the writing of this thesis. In particular, I wish to thank Professor Douglas Brent of the Department of Communications, Media, and Film, at the University of Calgary for stepping in after my original supervisor, Professor David Taras, accepted a well-deserved prestigious chair at Mount Royal University and was no longer able to participate as my supervisor. The office staff of the department and other scholars, like professors Charlene Elliott, Barbara Schneider and Tom Flanagan, from which I took my graduate courses at the University of Calgary also deserve praise as does Dr Lisa Micheelsen of Athabasca University for her encouragement during my master’s program. Margo Husby for whom I worked as a teaching assistant on several courses before her tragic death deserves to be remembered. She was an encouragement and inspiring teacher. Outside of academia I want to thank all the people working at various Canadian and other think tanks with whom I corresponded or talked. In particular, I want to thank the General Secretary of the Fabian Society, Andrew Harrop and his staff for their interest in my project. Similarly, I need to thank staff member of the London School of Economics who from time to time were very helpful. Professor Nicholas O’Shaughnessy, who is professor of communications at Queen Mary, University of London, deserves thanks for taking time to meet with me to discuss my project. The Vice Chancellor of a leading British university, who remains anonymous, also needs to be thanked and it is important to acknowledge the inspiration and encouragement I received from the late Professor Kenneth Ingham who discussed possible research options with me during several meetings on visits to Britain. As explained in my appendix on my research interviews the only South Africans I can thank by name are the current Chairman of the Broederbond, Jan Bosman and Professor Fika van Rensburg who is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Potchefstroom Campus of Northwest University in South Africa, the Revd. Kobus Genis of Westminster Presbyterian Church here in Calgary and the late Professor Donovan Williams and his family who made several important books available to me in addition to making generous donations of invaluable research materials to the University of Calgary Library and Archives. Finally, I want to thank former Prime Minister Stephen Harper for giving me what at the time was a devastating pep-talk on my need to go back to university and complete my degree in 2002. His blunt assessment of my need to get a degree was iii hard to take but worked wonders. At the same time my friends Shiraz Sharif and Dale Galbraith confirmed his assessment of the situation for which they need to be thanked. iv Dedication To my long-suffering step-mother Karla Poewe, my father, Irving Hexham, and my sister Janet and her family. v Table of Contents Abstract i Preface ii Acknowledgements iii Dedication v Table of Contents vi Abbreviations ix Chapter One: Think tanks and their communication strategies 1 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 The origin of the term "think tank" 4 1.2 think tanks and the war of ideas 7 1.3 Manjapra’s global entanglements 10 1.4 How influential are think tanks? 12 1.5 Conclusion. 15 Chapter Two: Literature Review 16 2.0 Introduction 16 2.1 The Fabian Society: The first modern think tank 16 2.2 The Afrikaner Broederbond 21 2.3 Literature about the South African Institute of Race Relations 23 2.4 The early study of think tanks 24 2.5 The development of think tank studies 28 2.6 Alternative ways of viewing think tanks 34 2.7 Conclusion 43 Chapter Three: Theory and Methods 44 3.0 Introduction 44 3.1 An overview of the sources used in this study 48 3.2 Primary and secondary written sources 48 3.3 The role of oral history, interviews, and observations 52 3.4 Rational-scientific communications 55 3.5 Cultural communications 59 3.6 Terministic screens, ideologies, myths, worldviews, identity 63 3.7 Worldview visions 69 vi 3.8 Rituals as modes of communication 71 3.9 The propaganda framework 76 3.10 Back to Burke 85 3.11 Conclusion 89 Chapter Four: The cultural-religious communications background 90 4.0 Introduction 90 4.1 The global dimensions of the Evangelical Revival 91 4.2 The Evangelical Revival as a communications revolution 93 4.3 The social impact of the Evangelical Revival 100 4.4 The Victorian crisis of faith 107 4.5 The Afrikaner Nationalist communications revolution 113 4.6: “Shall we forget a tearful past …” 116 4.7 The post-war South African communications revolution 126 4.8 Conclusion 132 Chapter Five: The Fabian Society, the first modern think tank 133 5.0 Introduction 133 5.1 Why study the Fabian Society? 133 5.2 The Founding Myth of Fabian Socialism 141 5.3 Rebels seeking a cause 144 5.4 The Fabian embrace of propaganda 146 5.5 Evidence based communications and social change 151 5.6 The Fabian Tract: Evidence based arguments 155 5.7 Developing a theory of evidence based propaganda 159 5.8 The Fabian use of cultural communications 165 5.9 Developing a theory of cultural propaganda 170 5.10 Conclusion 179 Chapter Six: The Afrikaner Broederbond 180 6.0 Introduction 180 6.1 The Broederbond: Think tank or South African KKK? 180 6.2 The origins of the Broederbond 185 6.3 The core idea of the Broederbond’s communications strategy 192 6.4 Establishing Afrikaans as the basis of Afrikaner identity 196 6.5 Communicating an Afrikaner identity 201 6.6 The return of the Voortrekkers 210 6.7 The importance of worldview thinking for Afrikaner Nationalist 212 6.8 Creating an Afrikaner high culture 218 6.9 The Broederbond’s war on poverty 223 6.10 Conclusion 229 vii Chapter Seven: The Tragic Success of the SAIRR 232 7.0 Introduction 232 7.1 The origins of the SAIRR 233 7.2 Establishing credibility for the Institute’s communications 236 7.3 The communications strategy of the SAIRR 242 7.4 The SAIRR’s embrace of rational-scientific communications 244 7.5 Years of hope and progress 246 7.6 Gotterdammerung 249 7.7 The SAIRR use of cultural communications 256 7.8 The triumph of the SAIRR’s Fabian gradualism 262 7.9 Conclusion 266 Chapter Eight: Conclusion 267 8.0 Introduction 267 8.1 The communications revolution that influenced the Fabians 269 8.2 Rational-scientific communications 270 8.3 The power of cultural
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