| dc.description.abstract | This dissertation is a historical biography of F.V. Engelenburg (1863-1938) and covers the
period from 1889 to 1938, when Engelenburg lived and worked in South Africa. The study
situates Engelenburg in the historical landscape of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek during
the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The focus is mainly on Engelenburg’s
journalistic career at De Volksstem, but attention is also given to his many other interests,
including the development and promotion of Afrikaans and the Afrikaans academic culture,
especially in the northern parts of South Africa. His work pertaining to the development of
architecture, literature, aviation, the visual and performing arts, history, libraries, museums
and educational institutions comes under the spotlight. His private life is considered as well
in order to portray his versatility as a person. The chapters have been subdivided to highlight
the variety of matters he was involved in, and a chronological approach has been followed as
is customary in a biography.
The study is based on archival research. In particular, Engelenburg’s private collections were
used, as well as the private collections of some of his contemporaries. Engelenburg assumes a
central place in the biography, with special focus on how he perceived and experienced
conditions and everyday life in South Africa from the point of view of his transnational
European background. His role as influential opinion-maker and political commentator on
local and international politics is highlighted. His ties with political leaders and his
involvement in government affairs are emphasised. The study also refers to his continued
contact with his motherland, the Netherlands, and with the Dutch language. After the Anglo-
Boer War, he realised that the languages of the future in South Africa would be Afrikaans
(not Dutch), alongside English. His continuing support for Afrikaans as a language of
instruction in schools and universities and the development of the Afrikaans literature, as well
as his support for the standardization of Afrikaans helped to establish Afrikaans as an official
language alongside English and Dutch in South Africa. Engelenburg’s active contribution to
the work of the Zuid-Afrikaanse Akademie voor Taal, Lettere en Kuns (now the Suid-
Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns), helped to put the organization on a sound
footing for future development. The Akademie can be seen as a living monument to his work
in South Africa. | en_US |
