Abstract

DE WET, Wouter. Tendense in populêre werke oor Suid-Afrikaanse rugby, 1948-1995: 'n Historiografiese studie. Historia [online]. 2016, vol.61, n.1, pp.113-131. ISSN 2309-8392.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2309-8392/2016/v61n1a9.

The resumption of international rugby after the Second World War sparked a renewed interest in sport among supporters worldwide. In South Africa dozens of popular rugby books were published in subsequent years and rugby grew tobe one of the country's biggest sports. These rugby books became popular items on the South African bookshelf. This article investigates the tendencies in popular South African rugby historiography. Trends are identified in the changing political context from 1948 to 1995 and studied by means of an in-depth analysis of their content and stylistic aspects. Questions relating to what was written in popular rugby books, how it was written, as well as why it was written, are explored. It becomes apparent that these trends were influenced by the changing socio-political landscape of twentieth-century South Africa. The politically motivated protests against the Springboks on tours overseas, the eventual boycott of the Springboks and the introduction of television to the country in 1976 all had a noticeable influence on popular South African rugby historiography.

Keywords : South Africa; twentieth century; rugby; historiography; sport; Springboks; sports boycotts.

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