The Historic Built Environment and a Sense of Place Jagersfontein
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE HISTORIC BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND A SENSE OF PLACE JAGERSFONTEIN: A MINING TOWN IN THE FREE STATE, SOUTH AFRICA Jagersfontein A 60 credit research project submitted In partial fulfilment of the degree of Master of Philosophy in Conservation of the Built Environment By University of Cape Town Loudine Philip School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town January 2014 The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University of Cape Town ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my supervisor and course convener, Professor Stephen Townsend, for his expert, sincere and valuable guidance and encouragement extended to me. Thank you for an absolute amazing journey! To my employer, the National Museum, my sincere appreciation for providing the means to do this research; without your support this would not have been possible. I am most grateful for the people of Jagersfontein, for their patience in answering endless questions, for providing me with information and photographs, allowing me to take photographs of their homes and town, and returning over and over to do more of the same. You are the true diamonds of Jagersfontein. I sincerely thank my colleague, Lloyd Rossouw, for giving me the space and time when needed to meet a deadline, and I would also like to thank Gerda Coetzee for moral support. To my assistant Thys Uys my most heartfelt thanks for assisting with recording interviews, helping to sort hundreds of photographs after each trip to Jagersfontein, and taking care of all the logistical arrangements. To Marianna Botes and Zoë Henderson, who perfected the art of being both colleague and friend, knowing when to spur me on and when to cheer me up with flowers and kind words, always willing to be a soundboard for new ideas, you leave me humbled. To my children David, Trevor and Tamsin, for their love and support and keeping the coffee cup full. I couldn’t have asked for a better cheering squad. My deepest gratitude goes to God, not only for providing me with the opportunity to do this research, but also the strength to see it through. AUTHOR’S STATEMENT This 60 credit research project is submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of Master of Philosophy in Conservation of the Built Environment. The course code of this research project is APG5071S. Work on this paper commenced in and progressed during the period of August 2012 to January 2014. Course convenor: Associate Professor Stephen S. Townsend School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics University of Cape Town [email protected] Supervisor: Associate Professor Stephen S. Townsend School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics University of Cape Town [email protected] PLAGIARISM DECLARATION: I know that plagiarism is wrong. Plagiarism is to use another’s work and pretend that it is one’s own. I have used a standard convention of citation and referencing. Each contribution to, and quotation in this research project from the work(s) of other people has been attributed, and has been cited and referenced. This dissertation is my own work. I have not allowed, and will not allow, anyone to copy my work with the intention of passing it off as his/her own work. 20 January 2014 ............................................................. ................................................................ Signature Removed ABSTRACT: The primary purpose of this study is to determine the degree to which the historic built environment plays a role in the establishment of a Sense of Place in the South African context with its diverse population and complex political history. The underlying rationale for this focus is that a strong connection between a Sense of Place and the historic built environment has the potential to translate to a strong motivation for its preservation. The focus in this research is on a single case, a historic diamond mining town in the Free State Province of South Africa, dating to 1869, with a rich and diverse history. The research was conducted employing a multi-paradigmatic approach grounded in Phenomenology and Psychometrics. This multi-method approach includes both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data was collected through semi-constructed interviews, background research, surveys and observations. Quantitative data was obtained by means of a simplified 3-point Likert-scale survey as well as quantifiable data obtained during the open-ended semi-structured interviews. These two sets of data form the units of analysis to inform the research question. The study results indicate a moderate to a strong link between the built historic environment and the Sense of Place of the residents of Jagersfontein. This is despite the fact that the town was originally a Whites-only residential area from which the vast majority of its current residents were excluded on account of racial segregation practices during the pre-1994 Apartheid years. The study is limited in terms of the results being particular to a specific time and place and on account of the small sample size not being able to be generalised to the entire population of Jagersfontein. The positive link between a Sense of Place and the historic environment, however, is sufficient for the results of this research to form the basis for further research involving the residents of the town in the preservation of the historic built environment. The practical implication of the study is that it opens the door for development studies in particular that will benefit the economy of the town, as well as the preservation of the historic built environment. Keywords: Sense of Place; historic built environment; Phenomenology; Psychometrics; South Africa; preservation; community involvement; development studies CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 1 Brief background to the study ............................................................................................... 1 Rationale ................................................................................................................................ 3 The Site of the Study ............................................................................................................. 4 Research Foundation ............................................................................................................. 4 Problem Statement ............................................................................................................... 6 Identification of Key Question and Sub-Questions ............................................................... 6 Approach and Brief Chapter Outline ..................................................................................... 7 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................... 10 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 10 The origin of Sense of Place ................................................................................................. 10 Characteristics of Sense of Place ......................................................................................... 11 Characteristics of Place Attachment ................................................................................... 13 Connecting Sense of Place with the historical environment .............................................. 14 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER 3: APPROACH OF THE INQUIRY AND ITS METHODOLOGY ................................ 16 Case Study ........................................................................................................................... 16 Discussion of Methodological Approach ............................................................................. 16 Theoretical Foundations ...................................................................................................... 17 Qualitative Approach........................................................................................................... 18 Ontological commitments ................................................................................................... 20 Epistemological commitments ............................................................................................ 20 Axiological commitments .................................................................................................... 22 Method of Inquiry ............................................................................................................... 24 i Quantitative Approach ........................................................................................................ 28 Mixed Method Model ......................................................................................................... 29 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 29 CHAPTER 4: