CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2024
| Author | Andro, Nina |
|---|---|
| Title | Colouring in the Map: Community Photo-Mapping as a Public History Method of Centering Coloured History in the Stellenbosch District |
| Summary | This capstone project and thesis explores a community-centred approach to colonial photo archives by developing a community photo mapping method in Stellenbosch, South Africa. This method involved archival research, qualitative interviews, and the photo-elicitation technique, focusing on the coloured community – a group with a violent history of racial oppression and ongoing marginalisation. Historically, their heritage has been neglected in official historiographical sources, contributing to continued marginalisation. The Colouring In the Map project creates a digital photo map that centres this marginalised history using archival images, which community members contextualised, and photos from private family collections. The map thus counters the colonial gaze inherent in official archives by providing a platform for self-representation and alternative historical narratives. &#x 09; Dur ing two months of fieldwork in 2024, approximately 160 historical photographs of coloured people in Stellenbosch were collected, spanning from circa 1890 to 1980. These images were georeferenced and categorised into themes such as work, leisure, education, religion, family, and violence. A sharp contrast between archival images, which predominantly depict coloured individuals in subservient roles, and private family photographs, which highlight personal pride and self-representation, was revealed. The digital photo map’s visualisation of the coloured community’s history and its spatial relationship with Stellenbosch’s urban landscape offers a new perspective on the town’s hegemonic historical narrative, which focuses on colonial history, thus challenging the Eurocentric perspective perpetuated by official archives. The findings underscore the importance of inclusive historical representation in addressing contemporary issues of racism and marginalization in settler societies. This thesis demonstrates that community photo mapping can effectively centre marginalised histories, offering a model for similar initiatives worldwide. It highlights the potential for digital humanities to transform public history, making it more inclusive and representative of diverse cultural identities, as well as the possibilities for studying the role of inclusive historical representation in addressing contemporary issues of racism and marginalisation. Key words: digital public history; community photo mapping; marginalised identities; South Africa. |
| Supervisor | Joana Vieira Paulino |
| Department | History MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2024/andro_nina.pdf |
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