Greytown: a South African townscape.
Abstract
• Opsomming:
Op enkele uitsonderings na is die stedelike nedersettings van
Suid-Afrika deur mense van of Hollandse of Britse herkoms gestig.
Die Hollands-Afrikaanse dorp en die British-settler town is as tipes
duidelik van mekaar te onderskei, maar die Britse oorname van elk
van die vier provinsies het telkens 'n tydperk van vermenging van
dorp- en town-elemente ingelui. Hierdie proses van interkulturele
ontlening het Suid-Afrikaanse dorpsbeelde na vore gebring waarvan
Greytown in Natal 'n sprekende voorbeeld is. Dorpsbeelde
weerspieël die kultuurgeskiedenis duidelik en die vertolking daarvan
kan daarom 'n bruikbare toevoeging tot ander geskiedkundige
bronne wees. • Summary:
With only a few exceptions, South Africa's urban settlements
were founded by people of either Dutch or British descent. The
Dutch-Afrikaner dorp and the British-settler town can be recognized
as contrasting places, but the British takeover of each of the
four provinces initiated a period in which dorp and town elements
were blended. This process of inter-cultural borrowing produced
South African townscapes, of which Greytown, Natal is a prime example.
Townscapes are vivid reflections of cultural history, and
their interpretation can therefore be a useful adjunct to other
sources of historical information.