humanities and social sciences 8
H U M A N I T I E S A N D S O C I A L S C I E N C E S
ern Hebrew. Developments like these in- 8.1 Explaining the humanities
dicate the increased value accorded to the in South Africa
technical end of knowledge but they also,
in Craig Calhoun’s words, suggest “a failing”
(McQuarrie, 2006:107).
I
n contemporary South Africa, the label
‘humanities’ is inclusive drawing toget-
her the traditionally defined ‘humanities’,
Understanding this situation requires that ‘social sciences’ and the ‘arts’. This brand
attention be given to the place of the hu- name – to intentionally use the term much-
manities during apartheid. The intention loved by the new generation of university
here is to highlight the rise and the efficacy
administrators – invariably reflects what
of a critical discourse and political practice
Ted Schatzki has called the contingent facts
which helped to bring apartheid to its end.
of institutional, cultural, and educational
Thereafter, consideration will be given to
history (Schatzki, 2009:31). It is important
the rise of the technical rationality repre-
to note that the use of this name is recent.
sented by neo-liberal economics, especially
Until the 1980s, most South African univer-
by the reductionist perspective embed-
sities used the label the ‘arts’ to name facul-
ded in the idea of globalisation, a marked
ties which included the ‘humanities’, while
feature of public policymaking in the post-
some, but not all, of the country’s universi-
ties organised the ‘social sciences’ into sep-
apartheid years. Both this political history
arate faculties. These definitional issues will
and rise of the technical end of social sci-
highlight the power of the metropolitan
ence will assist in the understanding of the
hold on academic organisation in South Af-
third: an analysis of the trends within the
rica, and explain how the social sciences, in
humanities both across, and within institu-
particular, were used to serve the purpose
tions and disciplines. The chapter ends with
of modernity in South Africa as, indeed,
a consideration of some recent attempts
they have been elsewhere.
to revive the humanities, both within the
country as a whole and in institutions com-
Given that South Africa was founded within
mitted to this task.
a “network of imperial knowledge” (Dubow,
2006:14), it is not surprising that the separa-
This is an ambitious undertaking given the
tion between the natural sciences and the
limited space available here. As a result,
humanities has been the primary feature of
the approach adopted follows a ’Thieving
the country’s knowledge system. Neverthe-
Magpie‘ perspective on social analysis (an
less, from the very earliest days the humani-
idea borrowed from the historian Simon
ties were valued – certainly, early university
Sharma). This technique enables us to draw
leadership was provided by those who had
illustrations from a range of disciplines in
trained in the field. An instructive example
order to illustrate the general points that
was Jan Hofmeyr, who was appointed the
drive the argument. first principal of the University of the Wit-
watersrand at the age of twenty-four. After
213
TWAS book_Chap8.indd 213 2009/10/06 12:04:58 PM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226 |
Page 227 |
Page 228 |
Page 229 |
Page 230 |
Page 231 |
Page 232 |
Page 233 |
Page 234 |
Page 235 |
Page 236 |
Page 237 |
Page 238 |
Page 239 |
Page 240 |
Page 241 |
Page 242 |
Page 243 |
Page 244 |
Page 245 |
Page 246 |
Page 247 |
Page 248 |
Page 249 |
Page 250 |
Page 251 |
Page 252 |
Page 253 |
Page 254 |
Page 255 |
Page 256 |
Page 257 |
Page 258 |
Page 259 |
Page 260 |
Page 261 |
Page 262 |
Page 263 |
Page 264 |
Page 265 |
Page 266 |
Page 267 |
Page 268 |
Page 269 |
Page 270 |
Page 271 |
Page 272 |
Page 273 |
Page 274 |
Page 275 |
Page 276 |
Page 277 |
Page 278 |
Page 279 |
Page 280 |
Page 281 |
Page 282 |
Page 283 |
Page 284 |
Page 285 |
Page 286 |
Page 287 |
Page 288 |
Page 289 |
Page 290