Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
The curse of Ham: An Africentric-postcolonial reading of Genesis 9:18-27 in the context of the coloured people of the Cape, South Africa
his dissertation investigates the history of the interpretation of Genesis 9:18-27, erroneously referred to as ‘the curse of Ham' and its application in the social-cultural history of the coloured people of the Cape in South Africa. The term Gam (which is the Afrikaans word for ‘Ham') is embraced an...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Department of Religious Studies
2024
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867614187214077952 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Allies, André Christain |
| author2 | Ukah, Asonzeh |
| author_browse | Allies, André Christain Ukah, Asonzeh |
| author_facet | Ukah, Asonzeh Allies, André Christain |
| author_sort | Allies, André Christain |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | his dissertation investigates the history of the interpretation of Genesis 9:18-27, erroneously referred to as ‘the curse of Ham' and its application in the social-cultural history of the coloured people of the Cape in South Africa. The term Gam (which is the Afrikaans word for ‘Ham') is embraced and accepted by many coloured people on the Cape Flats as a descriptor of their ethnic and cultural identity. Yet also, many other coloured people reject this concept of Gam given the connotations of slavery and servitude that are connected to it. This dissertation unpacks the notion of Gam, and the ethnic and racial classification ‘coloured', and seeks to trace the origins of these terminologies and concepts dating back to the colonial period, and how they came to be linked to the biblical ‘Ham'. This dissertation interrogates the extent to which rhetoric was used for the promotion of the curse of Ham (for example, Separatism and Chosen people), to justify the enslavement of Black people, for slavery was considered a godly imperative to be used by the colonisers and slavedrivers to cure the degradation of the African slave. In unpacking the biblical text, an Africentric – postcolonial interpretation is used as a tool to analyse, reread, and reconstruct the text. This dissertation determines how this text has been used ideologically to justify oppression and marginalization of dark-skinned people. This dissertation concludes with demythologising the terms Gam and ‘coloured', starting with the biblical text and the colonial narratives that supported oppressive and exploitative interpretations, and a consideration of these terms to be used as catalysts for inclusivity and nation-building. It ends by highlighting the unique contribution that coloured people can bring about when they embrace their African-ness, knowing that every other person in South Africa, irrespective of ethnicity or race, has a connection with the coloured people of the Cape because of the heterogeneity of the coloured people. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/40750 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:48:03.302Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | Department of Religious Studies |
| publisherStr | Department of Religious Studies |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/40750 The curse of Ham: An Africentric-postcolonial reading of Genesis 9:18-27 in the context of the coloured people of the Cape, South Africa Allies, André Christain Ukah, Asonzeh religious studies his dissertation investigates the history of the interpretation of Genesis 9:18-27, erroneously referred to as ‘the curse of Ham' and its application in the social-cultural history of the coloured people of the Cape in South Africa. The term Gam (which is the Afrikaans word for ‘Ham') is embraced and accepted by many coloured people on the Cape Flats as a descriptor of their ethnic and cultural identity. Yet also, many other coloured people reject this concept of Gam given the connotations of slavery and servitude that are connected to it. This dissertation unpacks the notion of Gam, and the ethnic and racial classification ‘coloured', and seeks to trace the origins of these terminologies and concepts dating back to the colonial period, and how they came to be linked to the biblical ‘Ham'. This dissertation interrogates the extent to which rhetoric was used for the promotion of the curse of Ham (for example, Separatism and Chosen people), to justify the enslavement of Black people, for slavery was considered a godly imperative to be used by the colonisers and slavedrivers to cure the degradation of the African slave. In unpacking the biblical text, an Africentric – postcolonial interpretation is used as a tool to analyse, reread, and reconstruct the text. This dissertation determines how this text has been used ideologically to justify oppression and marginalization of dark-skinned people. This dissertation concludes with demythologising the terms Gam and ‘coloured', starting with the biblical text and the colonial narratives that supported oppressive and exploitative interpretations, and a consideration of these terms to be used as catalysts for inclusivity and nation-building. It ends by highlighting the unique contribution that coloured people can bring about when they embrace their African-ness, knowing that every other person in South Africa, irrespective of ethnicity or race, has a connection with the coloured people of the Cape because of the heterogeneity of the coloured people. 2024-11-28T08:05:56Z 2024-11-28T08:05:56Z 2024 2024-11-26T13:15:13Z Thesis / Dissertation Doctoral PhD http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40750 eng application/pdf Department of Religious Studies Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | religious studies Allies, André Christain The curse of Ham: An Africentric-postcolonial reading of Genesis 9:18-27 in the context of the coloured people of the Cape, South Africa |
| thesis_degree_str | Doctoral |
| title | The curse of Ham: An Africentric-postcolonial reading of Genesis 9:18-27 in the context of the coloured people of the Cape, South Africa |
| title_full | The curse of Ham: An Africentric-postcolonial reading of Genesis 9:18-27 in the context of the coloured people of the Cape, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | The curse of Ham: An Africentric-postcolonial reading of Genesis 9:18-27 in the context of the coloured people of the Cape, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | The curse of Ham: An Africentric-postcolonial reading of Genesis 9:18-27 in the context of the coloured people of the Cape, South Africa |
| title_short | The curse of Ham: An Africentric-postcolonial reading of Genesis 9:18-27 in the context of the coloured people of the Cape, South Africa |
| title_sort | curse of ham an africentric postcolonial reading of genesis 9 18 27 in the context of the coloured people of the cape south africa |
| topic | religious studies |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40750 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alliesandrechristain thecurseofhamanafricentricpostcolonialreadingofgenesis91827inthecontextofthecolouredpeopleofthecapesouthafrica AT alliesandrechristain curseofhamanafricentricpostcolonialreadingofgenesis91827inthecontextofthecolouredpeopleofthecapesouthafrica |