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Afrikaner Nationalism and the Production of a White Cultural Heritage

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Afrikaner Nationalism and the Production of a White Cultural Heritage ~ Afrikaner Nationalism and the Production of a White Cultural Heritage An analysis of selected works undertaken by Dirk Visser and Gabriel Fagan from 1967-1993 ~ ~ A mini-dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of M Phil (Conservation of the Built Environment) by UniversityNicola Susan of Darke Cape Town School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town December 2012 Supervisor: ProfS. S. Townsend 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 DECLARATION 1. I declare that Afrikaner Nationalism and the Production of a White Cultural Heritage: An analysis of selected works undertaken by Dirk Visser and Gabriel Fagan from 1967-1993 is my own work and that it has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other university. 2. I know that plagiarism is wrong. Plagiarism is to use another's work and pretend that it is one's own. 3. I have used the Harvard convention for citation and referencing. Each contribution to, and quotation in this dissertation from the work or works of others has been attributed and has been cited and referenced. 4. I have not allowed, and will not allow, anyone to copy my work with the intention of passing it off as his or her own work Signature Cover images: The Graaff-Reinet Drostdy (left) image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/robwallace/2249563387/sizes/o/in/photostream/ De Tuynhuys (middle) image: www.capetown.travel/blog The Castle of Good Hope (right) image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/panorama_paul/383377451/ 11 ABSTRACT This dissertation entitled The Afrikaner Nationalism and the Production of a White Cultural Heritage: An analysis of selected works undertaken by Dirk Visser and Gabriel Fagan from 1967-1993 examines the construct of a white settler heritage as promoted and implemented through various restorations and reconstructions of DutchNOC buildings. The primary rationale of this study is to critically assess the actions of the main protagonists in the creation of this heritage, that is, the Department of Public Works, the National Monuments Council, Anton Rupert (and his Historic Homes of South Africa), the Simon van der Stel Foundation, the Institute of South African Architects and the provincial institutes. Directly related to this issue is the assessment as to whether the isolationist nature of the South Africa contributed to the plethora of stylistic restoration and reconstructions undertaken during the apartheid era. This study comprises two sections: first, the examination of the intellectual theoretical texts of Foucault, Nora and others pertaining to power, ideology, history and memory, as well as the seminal texts of Jokilehto and Choay which discuss the stylistic and historicist conservation theories of Viollet-le-Duc; and second, the analysis of selected case studies undertaken by Fagan on behalf of the state (The Castle of Good Hope and De Tuynhuys) and Visser on behalf of Rupert and Historic Homes of South Africa (Drostdy of Graaff-Reinet). The findings of the study support the notion that the Nationalist state actively pursued the recreation of the DutchNOC and white settler heritage in order to support their national identity and political ideology. However, the argument that the stylistic/historicist restorations can be attributed to the isolationist nature of South Africa is found to be implausible, owing to the accessibility of numerous international texts published in Restorica and the various post-graduate conservation degrees available to members of the profession from 1965. Keywords: Nationalism and ideology, the state and power, white settler heritage, stylistic restoration, reconstruction, Gabriel Fagan, Dirk Visser. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor, Prof Stephen Townsend, for his patience, dedication, thought provoking comments and insight. His guidance through this research process and dissertation has been very much appreciated. Without his constructive criticism, this would not have evolved into the document that it has become. I would like to thank Prof Andre van Graan for his incisive comments at the beginning of this journey and the direction he provided in terms of seminal texts. I would also like to thank Prof Nick Shepherd who sparked this critical concept through the lectures he delivered in 2011. My sincere thanks go to all of those who were interviewed for their generosity and willingness to share their experiences and thoughts with me. I would especially like to thank Gwen and Gabriel Fagan for their insight and access to their archives. I would also like to thank John Rennie, Jane Visser and Ivan Flint for their enthusiastic support and guidance. A special thanks to my mother, Bernice Wright, for her support and editing skills, Isaac Ntabankulu of the University of Cape Town Manuscripts and Archives for all his assistance in sourcing documents and drawings, and all my colleagues at the Nelson Mandel a Metropolitan University for their support and cups of coffee. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS Plagiarism declaration ....................................................................................... ii Abstract ............................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................ iv Figures and illustrations .................................................................................... viii Acronyms used in the text. ................................................................................ xi Glossary of terms and definitions .................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION .......................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2 : RESEARCH FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY ................... 5 Case Study Methodology ..................................................................................... 5 Selection of Case ................................................................................................. 7 Limitations ............................................................................................................ 7 Sources of Data pertaining to the Case Studies ................................................... 8 CHAPTER 3: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................ 11 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 11 Power and the State ............................................................................................. 11 Nationalism, Memory and Ideology ...................................................................... 13 Cultural Heritage, Cape Dutch Architecture and the VOC .................................... 18 Cape Dutch: Trope of South African Architecture and the Restoration undertaken 1960 - 1990 ......................................................................................................... 21 The State and the Profession ............................................................................... 31 Conservation Principles ........................................................................................ 36 Conservation in the South African Context 1920-1 980 ......................................... 39 The State and the National Monuments Council .................................................. 50 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 54 v CHAPTER 4 : ANALYSIS OF THE SELECTED CASES .................................... 55 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 55 De Tuynhuys- Cape Town ................................................................................. 56 Historical Background, Context and Significance ................................................. 56 The Client, the Ministry of Public Works and the Brief .......................................... 61 Fagan's Intervention and Methodology ................................................................ 64 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 72 The Castle of Good Hope- Cape Town ............................................................ 74 Historical Background, Context and Significance ................................................. 75 The Client, the Ministry of Public Works and the Brief.......................................... 78 Fagan's Intervention and Methodology ................................................................ 79 The National Monuments Council ........................................................................ 88 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 94 The Drostdy- Graaff-Reinet .............................................................................. 96 Historical Background, Context and Significance ................................................
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