Afstand en vereenselwiging: Perspektiewe op die veranderende betekenisse van boer en Boer in die Afrikaanse poësie

Abstract

Distance and identification: Perspectives on the changing connotations of boer and Boer in Afrikaans poetry
A comparison of various lemmas on boer/Boer in a number of dictionaries, as well as research on the application of these terms in a variety of poetic (and other) texts written during the 19th and 20th century, reveals interesting similarities and dissimilarities regarding both the definition and the utilization of the terms in Afrikaans and Dutch texts. In Afrikaans and in Afrikaans poetry, where Boer (and sometimes boer, under influence of the values attributed to Boer) is often used as an ethnonym, different meanings of the term correspond with the historical, sociological and ideological context. Alternatively, both terms are employed negatively, suggesting a perspective of distance, and positively, implying proximity and identification. The option selected depends on the specific intent and the context, but the terms are often used ambiguously, reflecting a multiplicity of meaning(s).