\ UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN FACULTY OF EDUCATION THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF THE LIESBEEK RIVER VALLEY An investigation of the use of an Environmental History approach in ·historical research and in classroom practice A dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of M.Ed in History Education \ -...... by JEAN ·BOTIARO MARCH 1996 ' f . , ,:.,- I'.! ' . t. c .-: . 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. This dissertation has two components, one History and one Education, and the central unifying theme is Environmental History. The History component examines the historiography of this sub-discipline, and then applies an environmental analysis as an example of its use in historical research. The second component explores the use of Environmental History in the teaching of school history, and presents a curriculum model which uses this approach. Both components use the Liesbeek River valley in the Cape Peninsula as a case-study. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I need to start off by thanking the person who provided the spark from which this dissertation grew: in June 1994, when I was rather desperately casting about for a research topic which would satisfy both the historical and education components of the course, Howard Phillips of the History Department at UCT mentioned the term "Environmental History". With a background in teaching both history and geography, I was immediately "hooked", and the long hard search began. I soon found out that, at that stage, very little on the topic had been published in South Africa, and that the information available on environmental history in the UCT libraries was extremely limited. An inspired suggestion from Howard that I contact Jane Carruthers at UNISA proved to be all that I needed to get me going, and I am indebted to her for all the references, help and encouragement that she provided. Although it was Howard who first suggested the topic, my real debt of gratitude is to Nigel Worden, who has overseen the on-off progress of this work since the latter half of 1994. It is his incisive criticism, sound advise and infectious enthusiasm which have kept me going. I thank him for these and for always being willing to give time and encouragement. The education component owes much to the useful suggestions and helpful criticisms of Rob Sieborger. I am grateful to him for these, and for the valuable personal time he gave up to search for references for me in the UK. I appreciate the willingness of so many people to give of their time to share something of their knowledge and expertise with me: to Margaret Cairns and Owen Kinahan for their knowledge of the history of the Rondebosch area, and for the use of maps and other sources; to Bryan Davies, Mike Luger and Ed Tilanus for their scientific expertise and information about the environmental aspects of the river; to Dan Sleigh for his unmatched knowledge of the early history of the area; and to Andy Smith and Beth Wahl for their information about the pre-colonial and historical archaeology of the valley. Ed Chantler patiently allowed me to study the resource packs on the Liesbeek compiled by his students at the College of Education. The very nature of environmental history entailed using a range of libraries that I might otherwise never have ventured into, and I am grateful to all the librarians who gave me assistance in the African Studies, Architecture, Education, Engeo, Hiddingh Hall, Jagger and Law Libraries at UCT. In particular I would like to mention Leonie Twentyman­ Jones of the Special Collections Department in the African Studies Library, and Shaada Reddy of the Engeo Library, both of whom gave invaluable assistance. In addition to the UCT libraries, the Western Cape Education Department Library was particularly useful, and I thank the librarians there for their help. Always cheerful, courteous and helpful too were the archivists at the Cape Archives in Roeland Street. Some of my colleagues at Westerford High School have also played a part. I am indebted to Dave Carr for allowing me to tag along with his Liesbeek River Action group, and for sharing with me his enthusiasm for environmental education in general, and the river in particular. I have been encouraged by the support I received from Andrew Moore and Pippa Visser, a colleague and former colleague respectively in the history department. Andrew uncomplainingly gave up valuable time to take photographs and to scramble around the cemetery at St Paul's with me; Pippa offered valuable criticisms of worksheets and activities. To my fellow students on the M. Ed course - Don Ainslie, Mario Fernandez, Roger Goodwin, Justin Harvey and Cedric van Dyk - thanks for the criticism and suggestions on those long Monday afternoons! And lastly; to my family, Doug, Amanda and Piers, thanks for help with computers, shopping and cooking, and, above all, for unfailing support. I know that you are as pleased as I am that it's finally over. Jean Bottaro 23 March 1996 USING AN ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY APPROACH IN HISTORICAL RESEARCH Part 1: Environmental History Chapter 1: The historiographical context .................................................. Page 1 Part 2: A Case Study: The Liesbeek River valley ................................................. .Page 15 Chapter 2: The pre-colonial environment ................................................ Page 17 Chapter 3: The interaction between the Dutch and the environment ..... Page 25 Chapter 4: The impact of the British on the environment ...................... Page 40 Chapter 5: The 20th Centwy environment ............................................... Page 58 APPLYING AN ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY APPROACH IN THE CLASSROOM Part 3: Curriculum development Chapter 6: A rationale for using an Environmental Histoty approach .. Page 78 Chapter 7: A theoretical context for Environmental History ................... Page 86 Part 4: A Curriculum Model Chapter 8: Environmental History at School - a curriculum model based on a study of the Liesbeek River valley ............................ Page 100 Bibliography Part 1: Environmental History ................................................................. Page 164 Part 2: The Liesbeek River Case Study .............. :..................................... Page 168 Part 3: Curriculum Development.. ........................................................... Page 179 1 PART 1: ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY As this dissertation employs an environmental history approach, it is important to clarify at the outset precisely what this sub-discipline of history encompasses. Chapter 1 examines the historiography of environmental history. It focusses firstly on its origins, showing that, although it was initially linked to the Environmental Movement of the 1960s in the USA, it has developed beyond that now, with historians increasingly using an environmental perspective to analyse the histories of other areas of the world. Secondly, an examination of the content and methodology of the sub-discipline reveals that there is still much debate amongst environmental historians themselves about these issues. The third section explores the uses of environmental history and suggests that it has value both to historians and to natural scientists. Finally, the chapter examines the current status of environmental history in South Africa, showing that although Environmental Studies is a growing field in South Africa, most of the work has been done by geographers, archaeologists, anthropologists and natural scientists, rather than by historians. CHAPTER I THE HISTORIOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT: ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY The origins of Environmental History 1 Since the publication in 1967 of Roderick Nash's Wilderness and the American Mind , which traced the broad interaction between Americans and their environment, the subject of the reciprocal influences between humans and nature has received increasing attention from historians. It was Nash who coined the term 'Environmental History' and 1 Nash, R.: Wilderness and the American Mind Yale University Press, New Haven, 1967 -j ! 2 2 defined it as "the past contact of man with his total habitat" • It was seen as part of the 'New Left' history of the time, as part of the revisionist trend to make history more inclusive. Historians were uncovering hidden layers of gender, race and class, so why not dig deeper to the land itself as both a presence and an agent in history, with the environment perceived as an historical document, reflecting human culture and traditions? This was the very essence of history from the bottom up, with land as the exploited element. Linked as it was to the environmental movement of the 1960s, "environmental history therefore started with a strong moral purpose and a political agenda. Later environmental historians, however, brought a wider viewpoint, with the emphasis shifting to an examination of the reciprocal influences between humans and nature, rather than a dirge of what people had done to the land. One of the most prominent and prolific writers in this field, Donald Worster, has argued that although environmental history was born out of a strong moral concern, as it has matured it has become an 3 intellectual enterprise with no simple or single