Literatuurgeskiedskrywing en diskoers: die ‘begin’ van die Afrikaanse letterkunde

Abstract

In this article Afrikaans literary historiography is analysed by means of the discourse-analytical tradition associated with the name of Michel Foucault. Approaching Afrikaans literary historiography as a discursive formation makes it possible to argue that the nationalist-teleological character of the historiography has led to the marginalisation of a number of Afrikaans literary traditions. This argument then identifies the reclamation of these marginalised literary traditions as one of the most pressing tasks of Afrikaans literary historiography, Foucauldian discourse theory is finally used with reference to the alternative conception of history which accompanies it to suggest a solution to the problem of these marginalised Afrikaans literary traditions.