Land as a Site of Remembrance:An Ethnographic study in Barkly East

[摘要] This thesis is an examination of the ways in which people in Barkly East, a smalltown in the Eastern Cape, attribute feelings of belonging to the land they own andwork. In a country such as South Africa, where the contestation of land is prominentand so integral to the political and social discourse, questions related to the idea ofbelonging are necessary and important. Significant questions addressed by thisthesis are: Who belongs and why do they feel they belong? More importantly, thequestion of who does not belong, is addressed.In Barkly East a tug of war exists between groups and individuals who want mattersto remain constant and those who need the status quo to change. What stands out,moreover, in this community, is its duality on many levels of society, which is playedout both consciously and unconsciously. This duality is also manifested throughsocial, racial and economic relations, and is supported by an unequal access to land.This thesis identifies three main elements which contribute to the creation ofnarratives of belonging in Barkly East. Firstly, history and the perception of historycreate strong links between personal and communal identity, which in turn reinforcesand legitimises claims of belonging. Secondly, hierarchy in terms of gender and raceplays an important part in this narration, as some residents are more empowered inthis process due to either their gender or race. And three, the connection to the landthat people appear to have, plays a definitive role in narratives of belonging. Thosewho feel they have a heritage in this place also feel a connection to the land. Forthis reason, land for these people embody, not only the physical space of‘somewhere to belong to’, but becomes an integral ingredient to the act of belongingand even identity formation.

[发布机构] University of the Witwatersrand