A Weberian analysis of Afrikaner Calvinism and the spirit of capitalism

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Max Weber's text, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904-5), alsocalled 'the Weber thesis, has animated debates on the relationship between religion,particularly Calvinism, and capitalism for over a century. Many studies have been done totest the validity of the relationship between religion, particularly Protestantism, andcapitalism in different parts of the world. However, the case of the relationship betweenCalvinism and capitalism in South Africa has received limited scholarly attention. In the viewof the political economist Francis Fukuyama, 'the failure of the Calvinist Afrikaners todevelop a thriving capitalist system until the last quarter of the [19th] century' is an anomalythat needs explanation. My doctoral thesis takes up this challenge and offers an understandingof the engagement of Boers/Afrikaner Calvinists with trade, later modern industrialcapitalism, from 1652 to 1948.In order to understand the South African case study - Calvinism found roots at theCape in 1652 and is significant still today - I have employed historical sociology as mymethodology. My preference was guided by Weber's use of a form of this methodology. Thisallows for nuanced understandings of Calvinism and forms of capitalism at different periodsin its evolution. I have employed Weberian sociological theory, including his ideal typeconstructs such as the Protestant ethic, bureaucracy and the spirit of capitalism, to gaingreater insight. In my analysis I have also relied on Weber's Verstehen (interpretive)frameworks to offer more nuanced results. To add to the conceptual framework, I have usedWeber's metaphor of the 'switchmen in order to trace the impact of ideas. Of course, thefocus is on Calvin's ideas as they were reintroduced at different periods in South AfricanCalvinist history: often to suit new socio-political conditions and material interests.I trace the values of the Protestant ethic and the attitudes expressing the spirit ofcapitalism, following Weber, through an investigation of bureaucratisation of business andgovernment. I show the increased convergence of the Afrikaner Calvinist volk with the spiritof modern industrial capitalism in the early 20th century through the call by the elite amongthe Afrikaners acting as ideological 'switchmen through their ideas and wanting to alleviatepoverty amongst the group. Finally, the thesis shows the validity of the Weber thesis and itsuse for the study of Afrikaner Calvinism, including in period that follows after 1948.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University