SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online

 
vol.23 issue1Understanding (the lack of) space in Psalm 47:6 in light of its neighbouring Psalms: A spatial reading of Psalms 46-48Daniel's position in the Tanach, the LXX-Vulgate, and the Protestant canon 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


Old Testament Essays

On-line version ISSN 2312-3621
Print version ISSN 1010-9919

Old testam. essays vol.23 n.1 Pretoria  2010

 

Ethnicity, cultural diversity and poverty in South Africa: Archaeological perspectives from Iron Age Palestine

 

 

Coenraad L van W Scheepers

Unisa

Correspondence

 

 


ABSTRACT

Ethnic and cultural intolerance is still alive and well in post-Apartheid South Africa. It impinges negatively on the country's fight against poverty. Recent statistics on poverty in South Africa indicate that poverty is much higher amongst historically disadvantaged groups with no indication of any improvement. To alleviate poverty, foreign investment, amongst others, is crucial. Foreigners will only invest once they see local people are prepared to invest their skills and capital. This is not happening because South Africans from different ethnic background have not acknowledged or made peace with their ethnic diversities. Recent archaeological discoveries from stratum I at Ekron (an ancient Iron Age Philistine city) revealed evidence of Philistines, Judeans and Israelites working together in factories, sharing their capital, knowledge and skills. The author concludes that the seemingly harmonious and prosperous co-existence evident from the discoveries at Ekron, would not have been possible if these groups didn 't somehow managed to accept and tolerate their ethnic diversities and work together to survive under Neo-Assyrian rule. The archaeological evidence from Ekron has revealed valuable perspectives on co-operation between ethnically diverse groups that can assist South Africans in their quest to alleviate poverty.


 

 

“Full text available only in PDF format”

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Banks, Marcus. Ethnicity: Anthropological Constructions. New York: Free Press, 1996.         [ Links ]

Berg-Schlosser, Dirk & Kersting, Norbert. Poverty and Democracy. London: Zed Books, 2003.         [ Links ]

Bhorat Haroon & Ravi Kanbur, eds., Poverty and policy in post-apartheid South Africa. Cape Town: HSRC Press, 2006.         [ Links ]

Deng, Lual A. Rethinking African development. Toward a framework for social integration and ecological harmony. Trenton: African World Press, 1997.         [ Links ]

Dothan, Trude K. The Philistines and their material culture. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1982a.         [ Links ]

_. "What we know about the Philistines." Biblical Archaeology Review.VII/4 (1982b): 20-30.         [ Links ]

_. "Ekron of the Philistines. Part I: Where they came from, How they settled down and the places they worshiped in." Biblical Archaeology Review. XVI /1 (1990): 26-35.         [ Links ]

Eitam, David. "Selected oil and wine installations in Ancient Israel." Pages 91-105 in Olive oil in Antiquity, Israel and Neighbouring Countries from Neolithic to Early Arab Period. Edited by Michael Heltzer & David Eitam. Haifa: University of Haifa, 1987.         [ Links ]

Finkelstein, Israel. The Archaeology of the Israelite Settlement. Jerusalem: Israel. Exploration Society, 1988.         [ Links ]

Finkelstein, Israel & Silberman, Neil A. The Bible Unearthed. New York: Free Press, 2001.         [ Links ]

_. David and Solomon : in search of the Bible's sacred kings and the roots of the Western tradition. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006.         [ Links ]

Gitin, Symour, Mazar, Amihai & Stern, Ephraim, eds. Mediterranean Peoples in Transition. Thirteenth to Early Tenth Centuries B.C.E. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1998.         [ Links ]

Kimenyi, Mwangi S., Mbaku, John M. & Ngure Mwaniki. 2003. Restarting and Sustaining Economic growth and Development in Africa: The Case of Kenya. Burlington: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2003.         [ Links ]

Landman, Johannes P. (JP) et al. Breaking the grip of poverty and inequality in South Africa, 2004-2014: trends, issues and future policy options. Bellville: EFSA Institute for Theological and Interdisciplinary Research, 2003.         [ Links ]

Mazar, Amihai. Archaeology of the land of the Bible. New York: Doubleday, 1990.         [ Links ]

May, Julian (ed.), Poverty and inequality in South Africa: meeting the challenge. New York, St Martin's press, 2000.         [ Links ]

Mbeki, Moeletsi. Architects of Poverty. Johannesburg: Pan Macmillan, 2009.         [ Links ]

Oren, Eliezer D. The Sea Peoples and their World: A Reassessment. Philadelphia: University Museum Publications, 2000.         [ Links ]

Sachs, Jefferey D. The End of Poverty. London: Penquin Books, 2005.         [ Links ]

Sparks, Alistar. Beyond the miracle: inside the new South Africa. Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball, 2003.         [ Links ]

Tadmor, Hayim. "Philistia Under Assyrian Rule." Biblical Archaeologist 29 (1966): 88-97.         [ Links ]

Tiley, Alan S. Bridging the communication gap between black and white. Cape Town: Tafelberg Publishers, 1974.         [ Links ]

Ussishkin, David. "Notes on Megiddo, Gezer, Ashdod and tel Batash in the tenth to ninth centuries B.C." Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 277/278 (1990):71-91.         [ Links ]

 

 

Correspondence:
Prof. Coenraad L.v.W. Scheepers
Department of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, University of South Africa
P. O. Box 392, UNISA, 0003
E-mail: scheeclv@unisa.ac.za

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