SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online

 
vol.57 issue2Women in marriage: from word to image in Ousmane Sembene's Xala author indexsubject indexarticles search
Home Pagealphabetic serial listing  

Services on Demand

Article

Indicators

Related links

  • On index processCited by Google
  • On index processSimilars in Google

Share


Tydskrif vir Letterkunde

On-line version ISSN 2309-9070
Print version ISSN 0041-476X

Abstract

SMITH, Edwin. Of libraries, books, and reading: A journey of meaning making. Tydskr. letterkd. [online]. 2020, vol.57, n.2, pp.101-108. ISSN 2309-9070.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/tl.v57i2.8798.

In this essay I seek to demonstrate how an iterative reading of Archie L. Dick's The Hidden History of South Africa's Book and Reading Culture (2012), read through a life history lens, makes meaning of the lived experiences of South Africans-particularly during the time of the struggle against Apartheid, which is the focus of this essay. Relying on the life history approach to the recounting and exploration of South African history through the library, book, and reading culture of South Africans, I trace the complex and multi-layered experience of South Africa and its peoples as reported in The Hidden History. Interwoven with my own experiences with libraries, books, reading, and writing, I unveil the significant making of meaning in Dick's enterprise. As demanded by Dick, I confirm in this essay that South African liberation history must indeed include the roles played by librarians, books, and the experiences of ordinary South Africans in order to provide a fuller appreciation of the various influences and understanding of South Africa's past.

Keywords : history; books; reading; struggle; apartheid; exile; culture; South Africa.

        · text in English     · English ( pdf )

 

Creative Commons License All the contents of this journal, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License