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The viewer as conscript: dynamic struggles for ideological supremacy in the South African Border War film, 1971-1988
Fourteen South African films made between 1971 and 1988, and dealing with the Border War, are examined. The focus ofthis examination is on the ways in which films were used to persuade the white public to accept the legitimacy of the Border War. The period under examination is one during which the A...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
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Department of Historical Studies
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613252983193600 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Craig, Dylan |
| author2 | Bickford-Smith, Vivian |
| author_browse | Bickford-Smith, Vivian Craig, Dylan |
| author_facet | Bickford-Smith, Vivian Craig, Dylan |
| author_sort | Craig, Dylan |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Fourteen South African films made between 1971 and 1988, and dealing with the Border War, are examined. The focus ofthis examination is on the ways in which films were used to persuade the white public to accept the legitimacy of the Border War. The period under examination is one during which the Apartheid government moved South African society ever closer to what has been termed a 'garrison state'. Rather than following the approach indicated by the notion of 'film as history', the current work attempts to use films as sources of data to explicate the nature of the ideological manipulation at stake in each case. The literature reviewed clarifies the socio-political context around both the Border War and South African Border War film, and justifies the use of these films as sources of data for a historical analysis. A close analysis of the films reveals the appearance, growth in prominence, and disappearance of several critical themes in Border War films during each of the war's main phases (1971-5; 1975-80; 1980-8). Moreover, what is clear from the analysis is the relationship between each film's thematic composition and particular developments in the Border War and/or the South African government's strategies for fighting it, at the time. By subjecting the critical themes identified and the changes in these to further theoretical refinement, three analytic categories are suggested: changes in the structures of power, social transformation, and the government's shifting ideological agenda. These categories allow the dissertation to be concluded with an evaluation of the thesis that locally made films between 1971 and 1988 portray dynamic struggles for control over the ideology that sanctioned the legitimacy of the Border War. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/42030 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | English eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:33:12.104Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Department of Historical Studies |
| publisherStr | Department of Historical Studies |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/42030 The viewer as conscript: dynamic struggles for ideological supremacy in the South African Border War film, 1971-1988 Craig, Dylan Bickford-Smith, Vivian Boarder war Film South African Fourteen South African films made between 1971 and 1988, and dealing with the Border War, are examined. The focus ofthis examination is on the ways in which films were used to persuade the white public to accept the legitimacy of the Border War. The period under examination is one during which the Apartheid government moved South African society ever closer to what has been termed a 'garrison state'. Rather than following the approach indicated by the notion of 'film as history', the current work attempts to use films as sources of data to explicate the nature of the ideological manipulation at stake in each case. The literature reviewed clarifies the socio-political context around both the Border War and South African Border War film, and justifies the use of these films as sources of data for a historical analysis. A close analysis of the films reveals the appearance, growth in prominence, and disappearance of several critical themes in Border War films during each of the war's main phases (1971-5; 1975-80; 1980-8). Moreover, what is clear from the analysis is the relationship between each film's thematic composition and particular developments in the Border War and/or the South African government's strategies for fighting it, at the time. By subjecting the critical themes identified and the changes in these to further theoretical refinement, three analytic categories are suggested: changes in the structures of power, social transformation, and the government's shifting ideological agenda. These categories allow the dissertation to be concluded with an evaluation of the thesis that locally made films between 1971 and 1988 portray dynamic struggles for control over the ideology that sanctioned the legitimacy of the Border War. 2025-10-23T13:14:40Z 2025-10-23T13:14:40Z 2003 2025-10-23T13:02:52Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters Masters http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42030 en eng application/pdf Department of Historical Studies Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Boarder war Film South African Craig, Dylan The viewer as conscript: dynamic struggles for ideological supremacy in the South African Border War film, 1971-1988 |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | The viewer as conscript: dynamic struggles for ideological supremacy in the South African Border War film, 1971-1988 |
| title_full | The viewer as conscript: dynamic struggles for ideological supremacy in the South African Border War film, 1971-1988 |
| title_fullStr | The viewer as conscript: dynamic struggles for ideological supremacy in the South African Border War film, 1971-1988 |
| title_full_unstemmed | The viewer as conscript: dynamic struggles for ideological supremacy in the South African Border War film, 1971-1988 |
| title_short | The viewer as conscript: dynamic struggles for ideological supremacy in the South African Border War film, 1971-1988 |
| title_sort | viewer as conscript dynamic struggles for ideological supremacy in the south african border war film 1971 1988 |
| topic | Boarder war Film South African |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42030 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT craigdylan theviewerasconscriptdynamicstrugglesforideologicalsupremacyinthesouthafricanborderwarfilm19711988 AT craigdylan viewerasconscriptdynamicstrugglesforideologicalsupremacyinthesouthafricanborderwarfilm19711988 |