Loyalism in the Cape colony: Exploring the Khoesan subject-citizen space, c.1828-1834
New Contree
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Loyalism in the Cape colony: Exploring the Khoesan subject-citizen space, c.1828-1834 | |
| Creator | McDonald, Jared | |
| Description | This article presents the argument that British loyalism became a defining feature of Khoesan identity during the period from 1828 to 1834. The analysis suggests that expressions of loyalty to the British Crown reflected Khoesan claims to a civic identity that transcended their position of inferiority in Cape colonial society. Loyalism functioned as a collective identity that reflected a sense of belonging to an imagined, British-inspired, civic nation via the performance of subject-citizenship. During the early nineteenth century, the Cape Colony witnessed spirited public debates over the desirability of the extension of civil rights to its indigenous subjects. In the process, Khoesan subject-citizenship became entangled with loyalist impressions of empire which transcended local authorities and racial hierarchies. There was no universal group response to settler-colonialism by the Khoesan. The path to Khoesan subject-citizenship was determined by the extent to which individuals were exposed to ideas and imaginings of imperial civic nationhood and loyalism. Colonial law, evangelical-humanitarianism and imperial commissions of inquiry all functioned as important conduits of the notions of subject- citizenship and loyalism; together, and to varying degrees, these influences shaped Khoesan claims to a subject-based civic identity. The discussion focuses on Khoesan claims to subject-citizen status following the passage of Ordinance 50 in 1828 and in particular, at the time of the vagrancy agitation of 1834. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS Publishing | |
| Date | 2015-11-30 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/nc.v73i0.170 | |
| Source | New Contree; Vol 73 (2015); 26 2959-510X 0379-9867 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://newcontree.org.za/index.php/nc/article/view/170/170
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