Abstract

VAN RENSBURG, Elizabeth  and  SMIT, Mathilda. The Alps, anime and Afrikaans: "Heidi" as transnational text and culture product. Tydskr. letterkd. [online]. 2022, vol.59, n.1, pp.38-51. ISSN 2309-9070.  https://doi.org/10.17159/tl.v59i1.8972.

The name "Heidi" is known and loved all over the world, due to Swiss author, Johanna Spyri's works, Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre (1880) and Heidi kann brauchen, was es gelernt hat (1881), which form part of the classic international children's literature canon. These stories have since crossed national boarders, by manifesting transnationally in several culture products. The focus of this article lies on the transnational traffic between the original Heidi (1881) and its adaptations. Because "Heidi" as a cultural phenomenon contains universal themes, the product was able to spread globally. This journey stretches from the Swiss Alps, to Japan and finally finds a home in South Africa and Afrikaans. Included in the article is an overview of how the Heidi text manifested in several cultures and its transnational movement, spanning time and place. The popularity of the animation series in South Africa among Afrikaans speaking people is analysed, along with suggestions for possible reasons for this big following and prevalence . The central argument of the article is that "Heidi" as cultural product has had a transnational journey from the Alps, to anime and Afrikaans.

Keywords : Heidi"; anime; transnationalism; cultural product; Afrikaner identity.

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