Werkwinkel. Journal of Low Countries and South African Studies
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Werkwinkel. Journal of Low Countries and South African Studies (Werkwinkel. Tijdschrift voor Nederlandse en Zuid-Afrikaanse Studies / Werkwinkel. Tydskrif vir Nederlandse en Suid-Afrikaanse Studies). Czasopismo naukowe poświęcone szeroko rozumianym studiom niderlandzkim i południowoafrykańskim. Publikuje artykuły w języku angielskim, niderlandzkim i afrikaans po tzw. procedurze peer-review (dwóch zewnętrznych anonimowych specjalistów recenzuje zanonimizowany manuskrypt). W strukturze czasopisma są trzy działy: Papers – z naukowymi artykułami badawczymi, Views – z opiniami, polemikami, stanowiskami oraz Reviews – z recenzjami.
Werkwinkel. Journal of Low Countries and South African Studies (Werkwinkel. Tijdschrift voor Nederlandse en Zuid-Afrikaanse Studies / Werkwinkel. Tydskrif vir Nederlandse en Suid-Afrikaanse Studies). A scientific journal devoted to a broad perspective on Dutch and South African languages, literatures and cultures. Articles are published in English, Dutch and Afrikaans, and the double blind peer review policy (two anonymous external specialists review an anonymous version of a manuscript) is followed. The structure of the journal consists of three parts: Papers – with scientific research articles, Views – with opinions, polemics, points of view and Reviews.
Redaktor naczelny: Jerzy Koch
Kontakt: Werkwinkel
Wydział Anglistyki UAM
al. Niepodległości 4
61-874 Poznań
strona www: http://wa.amu.edu.pl/werkwinkel/
Nazwa wydawcy: Zakład Studiów Niderlandzkich i Południowoafrykańskich, Wydział Anglistyki UAM / Wydawnictwo Naukowe Exemplum
ISSN 1896-3307
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Item A Confidence Man in Africa: Karl May and the German Colonial Enterprise(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2008) Ferens, DominikaThis paper argues for the importance of studying the German popular fiction writer Karl May (1842-1912) from a postcolonial studies perspective, both within the context of the nineteenth century German imperial project and the Euro-American tradition of ethnic impersonation. May’s ethnographic adventure stories were, and to some extent still are, a considerable cultural force in Germany and Poland, where they are regularly reprinted, televised, parodied, and read aloud to children. Focusing on the power-knowledge nexus in May’s travel narratives, this paper explores the role May’s fiction played in the formation of German national identity, May’s ambivalent attitude towards the colonization of Africa, his strategies of building ethnographic authority, his contradictory attitudes towards the racial Other, and his own lifelong performances of Otherness.Item A Politics of Doubt: The Dissensual in The Heart of Redness(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2007) Farred, GrantThe relationship between faith and politics, between faith and democracy, between faith and resistance, and between faith and doubt has always been complicated. In “A Politics of Doubt: The Dissensual in The Heart of Redness,” Grant Farred demonstrates how South African author Zakes Mda grapples with these issues in his novel about the nineteenth century “cattle-killing episode,” an event that divided the amaXhosa people. The Heart of Redness, however, uses the historic “cattle-killing episode” to reflect on the politics, both in a narrowly economic but also in an environmental sense, of postapartheid South Africa. It is to the historical, political and ideological differences that the novel addresses itself, attempting to find a ‘solution’ to the differences within the contemporary black community in the resonant past. Using the work of Jacques Rancière to critique the notion of a consensual democracy, this essay demonstrates the range of philosophical issues that are raised, often, only implicitly, by Mda’s novel. Following Rancière, “A Politics of Doubt” explains why a dissensual politics – a politics grounded in fundamental, sometimes irresolvable difference – might be more ‘true’ to ‘democracy’ than the politics of perpetual compromise. The conflict between the “Believers” and the “Unbelievers,” located as it is in a deeply antagonistic history, speaks of a tension that will not allow for easy reconciliation. Recognizing the historical value of these differences, and how they continue to impact black life in postapartheid society, creates the ossibility for a dissensual politics that is potentially democratic.Item Aanpassing in die uitgewersbedryf: Die geval van NB-Uitgewers rondom die millenniumwending(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2007) Zyl, Hannes, vanSouth Africa experienced accelerated political change after 1990. Authors, artists and cultural managers have been adapting to this political transformation, which also altered complex interrelated patterns in the field of cultural production. Book publishers, previously shielded to some degree by government spending from international trends in the industry, were compelled to adjust drastically when government expenditure on books dropped by more than 80% between 1996 and 1998. For most local publishers, the adjustment was urgent and necessary in order to survive. Simultaneously, they were exploring new freedoms and opportunities flowing from the transition, and also facilitating the gradual forging of new identities in the cultural and literary landscape. Some publishers are now less likely to be exclusively defined by language or a fixed cultural identity, and perhaps more so by their positioning within the structure of the publishing industry. This article documents some of the changes at one particular publishing house, NB Publishers.Item Achter de trommels: het Afrikaner nationalisme als bouwsteen voor het ideologische discours van de Vlaamse Beweging (ca. 1875-1921)*(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2007) T'Sjoen, YvesDuring the First World War some young Flemish intellectuals and writers took advantage of the German Flamenpolitik (the occupation politics in Flanders) in order to realise a number of socio-political, economic and linguistic goals in Flanders. The bourgeois and higher social classes, as well as the Belgian government, were only French speaking at that time. This agitation by Flemish artists and historians, politicians and writers is called activisme. Some of them strived for a Diets (a reunited Dutch-speaking) nation, based on a unifying idea of ‘Great-Netherland’ sentiments (Groot-Nederland). One of those ‘Diets’ writers was Wies Moens. His idea of a ‘Great-Dutch’ nation included not only the Netherlands and Flanders, but also the Afrikaans-speaking part of the South-African population. In the twenties Moens stood up for a cultural notion of the ‘Diets’ ideas, in the thirties and during the Second World War he gave it a more radical political-ideological significance. This paper focuses on the way young activists and Flemish nationalism at the end of the 19th century, and more particularly in the first decades of the 20th century, made use of the white Afrikaner nationalism, andmore specifically themystification of the (second) Anglo-Boer War, to enforce their own political message.Item Adaptive Shifts: Identity and Genre in the Memorials of the 1820 British Settlers in the Cape Colony(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2010) Włodarczyk, MatyldaMultiple reflections of social transformation are to be found within newly founded colonial communities, such as that of the early British settlers in South Africa (known as the ‘1820 Settlers’) analysed in this study. Such reflections include indications of the genre transformations which may be traced in the 1820 Settler letters (petitions/memorials) addressed to the officials responsible for the colonial plan (1819-1825). Prior to the colonisation, for instance, this genre was clearly devoid of an affective component (Besnier 1990: 431; cf. also Katriel 2004: 4) which has surfaced in the colonial context. On a micro-level, it is echoed in, among others, the strategies of reporting speech which is understood here as a marker of stance (Włodarczyk 2007; cf. Biber 2004; Besnier 1993). The proposed features of genre transformation are illustrated here in the course of a linguistic comparison of two collections of letters presented in the paper. As example, some innovations are introduced in the correspondence of Jane Erith, a destitute settler whose property was destroyed in a fire and who sought support from the colonial authorities. In her writing, as a desperate colonial subject she confronts the disastrous inadequacy of the institutional sources of power as a way of resisting the established power relations (cf. e.g. Laidlaw 2005). The paper demonstrates that some connections between genre conventions and social upheaval may be revealed in the course of linguistic analysis.Item Afscheid van de (Nederlandse) literatuur? Inleidende opmerkingen over literatuurgeschiedenis als cultureel project en wetenschappelijke onderneming(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2013) Dorleijn, GillisIn this introductory article a view on literary-history research is presented on the basis of topics addressed by the other contributions to this issue of Werkwinkel. Central to a new paradigm in cultural studies is a new, dynamic conception of culture, informed by current insights of cultural sociology, cognitive sciences and a functionalist approach: culture is fragmented, situation dependent, led by mediation and framing effects and inheres not in the objects or artefacts, perceptions or symbolizations but in the interactions among them. Consequently, the object of research on literary-history should be reconceptualised as a complex form of communicative behaviour. Besides, it is argued that traditionally and even in recent times, literary historiography still is determined by cultural agenda’s or by a mix of academic and cultural aims. Current policy of science requires that academic research contributes to societal issues; hence, traditional literary historiography can function as a form of knowledge dissemination. However, scientific criteria should always be prominent. Reviewing the subsequent contributions, this article identifies some new themes of literary-history like media context, transnational literature and the interaction with other, non-literary discourses. Such a broad and dynamic concept of literary history runs a risk that the literary-historical research programme succumbs to its ambitions. Yet, this might be overcome by formulating precise and well-defined research questions within a sound theoretical framework.Item Amazonen en volksmoeders: overeenkomsten in representaties van vrouwen in Zuid-Afrikaanse en Poolse nationale mythologieën(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2013) Drwal, MałgorzataThis paper discusses similarities in the working of mechanisms responsible for the creation of idealized representations of women in South African (or Afrikaner) and Polish national mythologies. It is argued that in both cases two realisations of a patriotic attitude can be observed. The first of them, South African volksmoeder or Polish Matka Polka, is perceived as the dominant and neutral one. It defines the embodiment of female virtues as prescribed by social norms. The other one, the Amazon, refers to a rebellious woman warrior who constitutes a disturbing mixture of both stereotypically female and male features. The attention is drawn to the role of literature in the forming and preserving of these models. Furthermore, the discussion focuses on the question whether the Amazon can be perceived as a model of a proto-feminist.Item An Ordinary Man: An interview with Nicholas Lens(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2012) Semenowicz, DorotaItem Antoni Ziemba Sztuka Burgundii i Niderlandów 1380–1500 Tom 1. Sztuka dworu burgundzkiego oraz miast niderlandzkich(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2011) Sikora-Sabat, AnnaA review of Antoni Ziemba Sztuka Burgundii i Niderlandów 1380–1500 Tom 1. Sztuka dworu burgundzkiego oraz miast niderlandzkich Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego. 2008. 602 pp. ISBN 978-83-235-0443-6Item Aspects of Violence Reflected in South African Geographical Names(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2010) Meiring, BarbaraThe toponymic landscape of any country is a window that reflects the historical, cultural, political and most social variables of society. This article is based on one aspect of society, namely violence, that is detectable in the place names of South Africa. While the country is in the process of building a nation with a diverse collection of building blocks due to the different languages and cultures present in the country, there exists a vast number of place names that directly or indirectly by association not only reflect this diversity, but have the potential to divide and obstruct efforts to obtain the social cohesion necessary to form a South African nation. However, history cannot be erased by the mere changing of a place name to another name which is more acceptable to a certain community. Aspects of violence in names reflect the ordeals and suffering of people who were exposed to wars and other forms of violence like natural disasters and environmental dangers. In this article a few examples are shown to illustrate that toponyms are not meaningless, but are rich in historical data that is often overlooked when the names of these villages, settlements, towns, historical sites, post-offices, etc. are used in everyday communication. The discussion on aspects of violence will finally be contrasted by a short discussion on aspects of peace and well-being also reflected in other South African place names.Item Back to the Roots? Forming New Concepts of Women’s Identity in Contemporary Postcolonial Literature Written by Women in Dutch and Afrikaans(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2012) Kuhn, KarenReview: Back to the Roots? Forming New Concepts of Women’s Identity in Contemporary Postcolonial Literature Written by Women in Dutch and AfrikaansItem Belgisch Congo (1927-1930) in de herinneringen van de Poolse dokter Henryk Gordziałkowski(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2008) Czarnecka, BożenaThe memoirs of Gordziałkowski, inspired by a three-year stay in the Belgian Congo and published in 1934 under the title Czarny sen (The Black Dream), constitute a wellconstructed text written in a lively, vibrant language, combining elements of reality and adventure in an interesting way. In this non-voluminous book, Gordziałkowski describes colonial reality from the perspective of an ‘Other among Others’. This picture is in many respects related to Flemish colonial literature’s more or less stereotypical image of the colonies, yet it simultaneously depicts certain issues in a significantly different way. In 1959 the book was republished, which could not be a mere coincidence taking into account the development of the political situation in Africa and in Poland itself. For various reasons, the publisher edited and manipulated the text to the extent that the 1959 version effectively inverts the meaning of the original. Such adjustment of a text to new circumstances casts new light on the relationship between literature and external reality.Item ‘Beperkte afschrikkingsmacht’ van de Republiek Zuid-Afrika(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2011) Kubiak, KrzysztofIn the seventies South Africa became a nuclear power. This paper examines the circumstances of and reasons for developing national nuclear capacities. The author presents the political and strategic situation of South Africa and the new threats and challenges which appeared after the collapse of Portuguese colonies in Africa and the arrival of the first Cuban units in Angola. In this context the South African authorities considered the development of nuclear weapons as a fundamental factor in creating a balance of power, and also as an important political tool. It must be emphasised that South Africa saw its own nuclear capacity as an instrument of policy, rather than a classical type weapon to be used on the battlefield. At the end of the apartheid era the South African nuclear bombs were deactivated and dismantled. The country also stopped construction of ballistic missiles. At present the Republic of South Africa is ‘free’ of nuclear weapons.Item Beyond Conventions: The Nomadic Smooth Space in J.M. Coetzee’s Life and Times of Michael K(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2012) Karwowska, KatarzynaThis article traces the processes governing the creation of literary places in J.M. Coetzee’s Life and Times of Michael K. The recognition of elements characteristic of pastoral, anti-pastoral and post-pastoral modes of spatial organisation in renderings of the City of Cape Town and the South African countryside constitutes the point of departure for the analysis. Conventional patterns are questioned and subverted, and ultimately proven unfit for the representation of the moments of social and political distress in late twentieth century South Africa. The novel’s protagonist suggestively navigates the interpretation process into the field of postmodern theories of space. The distinction between ‘smooth’ and ‘striated’ space proposed by French philosophers Félix Guattari and Gilles Deleuze establishes a revealing set of correspondences and evinces previously uncovered exegetic layers of the narrative.Item “But what if the street turns loose”: Civilian Violence in Flemish Novels on the Second World War(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2011) Lensen, JanThis essay focuses on the Flemish literary image construction of the violence that took place during the so-called ‘repression period’ at the end of the Second World War in Belgium, when people accused of collaboration with the Germans were victim to fierce public outrage. This essay examines by way of historical contextualization and close reading of some select passages in what ways post-war Flemish literature has attempted to come to terms with this traumatic event and the ways it has inscribed it into the collective cultural memory. I argue that, while the phenomenon of collaboration has received nuanced discussion, trying to understand and explain the psychological motivation and socio-economic circumstances that prompted people to collaborate with the occupier, the street violence of the repression has not yet warranted a similar degree of attention. Rather, it is unanimously represented as a wholly negative event, inexcusable on both the political and the moral level. This approach to our history also shows that while Flemish literature has, in many regards, worked through the trauma of the occupation, it has not yet come to terms with the trauma of the unprecedented civilian violence that erupted at the end of the war.Item Children’s Work in Southern Africa(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2009) Bourdillon, Michael F.C.This article questions the applicability of international standards on children’s work to such situations as are found in South Africa. Differing contexts affect ideas of what is appropriate for children. Although South Africa has a developed economy and technology and aspires to full participation in the developed world, poverty remains a problem, as does quality and accessibility of schooling. These factors, together with different cultural views on children and growing up, affect experiences of childhood and of school, making them very different from the experiences of young people in the developed world. Although few children in South Africa are in regular paid employment, those undertaking part-time paid work often see this as a positive feature in their lives, while many find that unpaid work in the home can be a problem. Such children doing useful part-time paid work, as well as those doing excessive work in their homes, need protection and support, yet escape attention in international discourse on abolishing ‘child labour.’Item Coetzee / Beckett(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2012) Wiśniewski, TomaszThis article presents an analysis of relations between works of J. M. Coetzee and Samuel Beckett. The primary research material covers novels and essays written by the former, and particular attention is given to those essays by Coetzee which deal with writings of Beckett (e.g. “Eight Ways of Looking at Samuel Beckett”). Because Coetzee’s professional interest in Beckett has lasted for over forty years, it enables us to talk about certain shifts in his literary attitudes and evolution of his professional stance. It seems that among the key features which put these two writers together are the following: their profound belief in the integrity of form (style) and content, their fascination with philosophical dualism and existential homelessness, and, finally, their skeptical attitude towards the academic world.Item “Come Rap for the Planet”: Matters of Life and Death in Nadine Gordimer’s Get a Life (2005)(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2009) Szczurek, Karina MagdalenaGet a Life (2005) is Nadine Gordimer’s latest and probably last novel. As some of its reviewers have suggested, it is not a major addition to her oeuvre. However, its significance lies in its activist thrust as the first truly ‘green’ novel published in postapartheid South Africa. Using a basic ecocritical approach, the following essay exposes the eco-conscious character of the book. Furthermore, it shows how the novel engages in some crucial contemporary debates in the South African public sphere and situates them in the global context of the 21st century. At the same time, by looking at some of Gordimer’s short stories written around the time of publication of Get a Life and primarily at the novel itself, this essay analyses how the author explores the topics of ageing and natural death as well as the need to leave a trace of one’s life beyond physical existence.Item Congo in de literatuur Themanummer van Armada: Tijdschrift voor wereldliteratuur(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2011) Czarnecka, Bożena; Koch, JerzyReview of: Congo in de literatuur Themanummer van Armada : Tijdschrift voor wereldliteratuur Zestiende jaargang, nr 59, juni 2010. 119 pp. ISBN 978 90 284 2317 6 / NUR 324 / ISSN 1384 105 XItem David Attwell, Derek Attridge, eds The Cambridge History of South African Literature(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2013) Olivier, FanieA review of David Attwell, Derek Attridge, eds The Cambridge History of South African Literature Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012 894 pp. ISBN 978-0-521-19928-5