Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
Animals, acrobats and amusement : a history of performance in South Africa’s circus industry, c.1882–1963
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2021.
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
| Published: |
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2021
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867614109418127360 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Uys, Mia |
| author2 | Swart, Sandra S. |
| author_browse | Swart, Sandra S. Uys, Mia |
| author_facet | Swart, Sandra S. Uys, Mia |
| author_sort | Uys, Mia |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2021. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/110070 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:46:49.061Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publishDateRange | 2021 |
| publishDateSort | 2021 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/110070 Animals, acrobats and amusement : a history of performance in South Africa’s circus industry, c.1882–1963 Uys, Mia Swart, Sandra S. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of History. Circus -- South Africa -- History -- c.1882–1963 Circus animals Boswell’s Circus Pagel’s Circus Fillis’s Circus International influence on performances UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2021. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In South Africa, the circus industry became an important leisure industry in the 1800s and remained a popular form of entertainment until the turn of the twenty-first century, attracting diverse audiences across the country. Yet this industry is a neglected area of historical research. This thesis uses a rich variety of primary sources to debunk the myth of the ‘timeless circus act’, static and uniform. Instead, it demonstrates that this industry has gone through several transformations throughout the history of its existence. It analyses these changes, with particular focus on animal and gender history, by comparing performances between three circus companies that toured South Africa between 1882 and 1963: Fillis’s Circus, Pagel’s Circus and Boswell’s Circus. In doing so, this thesis explores the international influence on performances. This thesis argues that animals were integral to the circus industry, but their roles were mutable and affected by changes in human society. It traces their shifting role in performances across the companies, while also considering their shifting and subjective experiences in captivity. It contends that we can conceive of animals as ‘political performers’ and even as political agents with the ability to exert their agency and effect change. Throughout this thesis, the notion of ‘performing gender’ is analysed by comparing routines, as well as the various audience reactions to examine the ideals of masculinity and femininity reflected in society at the time. Overall, it argues that the significant changes that occurred within animal and gendered performances were a response to the shifting localised public mindsets and political climates, affected in turn by broader global forces. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Raadpleeg teks vir opsomming Masters 2021-02-26T14:07:25Z 2021-04-21T14:38:53Z 2021-02-26T14:07:25Z 2021-04-21T14:38:53Z 2021-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/110070 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 170 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Circus -- South Africa -- History -- c.1882–1963 Circus animals Boswell’s Circus Pagel’s Circus Fillis’s Circus International influence on performances UCTD Uys, Mia Animals, acrobats and amusement : a history of performance in South Africa’s circus industry, c.1882–1963 |
| title | Animals, acrobats and amusement : a history of performance in South Africa’s circus industry, c.1882–1963 |
| title_full | Animals, acrobats and amusement : a history of performance in South Africa’s circus industry, c.1882–1963 |
| title_fullStr | Animals, acrobats and amusement : a history of performance in South Africa’s circus industry, c.1882–1963 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Animals, acrobats and amusement : a history of performance in South Africa’s circus industry, c.1882–1963 |
| title_short | Animals, acrobats and amusement : a history of performance in South Africa’s circus industry, c.1882–1963 |
| title_sort | animals acrobats and amusement a history of performance in south africa s circus industry c 1882 1963 |
| topic | Circus -- South Africa -- History -- c.1882–1963 Circus animals Boswell’s Circus Pagel’s Circus Fillis’s Circus International influence on performances UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/110070 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT uysmia animalsacrobatsandamusementahistoryofperformanceinsouthafricascircusindustryc18821963 |