Abstract

BLIGNAUT, Charl  and  DU PISANI, Kobus. "'n Onselfstandige gesin beteken 'n onselfstandige volk": Organiese nasionalisme en die amptelike gesinsbeleid van die Ossewa-Brandwag. Historia [online]. 2018, vol.63, n.2, pp.138-160. ISSN 2309-8392.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2309-8392/2018/v63n2a7.

The Ossewa-Brandwag (OB) was an Afrikaner nationalist mass movement that existed from 1939 to 1954. The organisation was characterised by a particularly strong ideology which sought to combine Afrikaner nationalism with nationalsocialist ideas. The concept of "volk" had an important influence on the members of the OB. Armed with a strong Calvinist orientation, the ideology of the OB carried within itself the ideal of the "organic unity of the nation" which saw the Afrikaner as being part of an organism of the volk. Although a few studies have been published on the ideology of the OB, the use of the "organic" metaphor by leaders and Afrikaner intellectuals, against the backdrop of the reigning intellectual milieu, has never been analysed. Furthermore, no published study exists that focuses on the relationship between the organic unity of the nation and the movement's official family policy. This article aims to fill this gap by tracing the origin and influence of the organic idea on the official policies of the OB - especially on its family policy. The focus is placed on the role the family played within the organisation's aims and its ideal for a new society. It is evident that in line with the idea of the organic volk, the idea of the family played a crucial role in the OB's aim to reform society; also emphasised is the importance of the role of women as vital for realising the aims of the movement.

Keywords : Ossewa-Brandwag; Afrikaner nationalism; organic nationalism; gender history; H; G; Stoker; N; Diederichs; P; J; Meyer; family; women.

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