'A far greater game' : sport and the Anglo-Boer War

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:Today white South Africans take their sport very seriously and at the tum of the nineteenthcentury this was no different. The key difference however was that a war had erupted betweenthe two Boer Republics (Orange Free State and the Transvaal) and Britain. The Anglo-BoerWar of 1899-1902 was fought for the supremacy of South Africa at a time when sport wasstill developing within the country and like other facets of its culture, it too became entwinedwithin a conflict that was to effect the whole future of Southern Africa.This socio-historical study is an attempt to explore sport during this era and how it impingedupon the relationship between Boer and Briton. A pivotal period in South African history, theaccount will trace the background and nature of the Anglo-Boer conflict and how a passionfor sport was shared by both sides throughout and beyond the hostilities. Britain had indeedintroduced its sporting codes to South Africa prior to the war and cricket and rugby inparticular were already established within its towns and cities. The origins of both sports willbe examined here including the significance of the first tours which took place between SouthAfrica and Britain during this time.The majority of research for this study has been completed in South Africa, predominatelywithin the Western Cape but also during spells in the Free State and Gauteng. Visits have alsobeen made to various sources in the UK including Twickenham and Lords. Whilst publishedwork has been used, concerted efforts have been made throughout to include data obtainedfrom primary sources. The descriptive nature of the work has also necessitated theemployment of qualitative methods of analysis with data gathered from archive and literarysources selectively underpinned with information from a number of interviews.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University