The cuff and the collar : a contemporary representation of seventeenth century symbols of power and oppression at the Cape of Good Hope

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:This thesis examines the extent to which the cuff and the collar as semiotic entities playeda significant role in the symbolic expression of power and oppression in the seventeenthcentury Cape of Good Hope. These entities were visually naturalised by the Eurocentricimperialist hegemony at the Cape and offered as undisputed 'truth'. These symbolspermeated the collective consciousness of the society at the Cape on both a physical andcognitive level. The white ruff and cuffs, and the shackles of the slaves representedphysical restraints, whilst mentally the slaves were confronted with identity constructionand deconstruction. 'The self' was pitted against 'the Other', and these European valuesand hierarchies were enforced on the society at the Cape by creating dualisticrelationships. An identity implies a certain amount of power. For this reason, the Europeansstripped the slaves of their identities in order to gain control over them. This theory,together with the investigation into the hybrid characteristic of culture as a product ofcolonialism and slavery at the Cape, will be established concurrently with the aim of mypractical work - The Ruff/Rough Collection, The Shackle Collection, and The Soft SteelCollection. This body of work aims to deconstruct the boundaries and hierarchiesestablished by the cuff and the collar (as symbols of the power and oppression paradigm)at the Cape.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University