Petrus Johannes Van der Merwe wrote three of the most significant books on the history of South Africa before he was 35 years old. His trilogy, of which The Migrant Farmer is the first volume, has become a classic that no student of Cape colonial history of the seventeenth, eighteenth or nineteenth century can ignore. Van der Merwe was unique among Afrikaner historians in that he focused not on the single event known as the Great Trek, but on the greater migration, nearly three hundred years long, of peoples of Dutch, French and German descent out from the victualling station at Cape Town after their arrival there in 1652. In the process he pioneered new directions in historical writing decades before they became fashionable among other South African historians. Van der Merwe was less interested in politics than in the social, cultural, economic and religious lives of his subjects. He asked questions about such daily concerns as work, food, property owning, private and public worship, leisure activities, fashions, the environment and about the farmers' relations with their neighbors, both white and black. The Migrant Farmer (Die Trekboer in die Geskiedenis van die Kaapkolonie, 1657-1842) was published in Cape Town in Afrikaans in 1938. Beck's English translation will allow scholars worldwide the opportunity to use, or challenge, this pioneering study of South Africa.

In this biography of the Khoikhoi Jan Paerl (1761-1851) light is being shed on a new form of resistance against colonial domination in Cape society. It emphasizes Khoikhoi colonial encounters and incorporates themes such as millenarian beliefs, identities, master-servant relations, indentured labour and the appropriation of mission Christianity.

Slavery, Emancipation and Colonial Rule in South Africa examines the rural Cape Colony from the earliest days of Dutch colonial rule in the mid-seventeenth century to the outbreak of the South African War in 1899. For slaves and slave owners alike, incorporation into the British Empire at the beginning of the nineteenth century brought fruits that were bittersweet. The gentry had initially done well by accepting British rule, but were ultimately faced with the legislated ending of servile labor. To slaves and Khoisan servants, British rule brought freedom, but a freedom that remained limited. The gentry accomplished this feat only with great difficulty. Increasingly, their dominance of the countryside was threatened by English-speaking merchants and money-lenders, a challenge that stimulated early Afrikaner nationalism. The alliances that ensured nineteenth-century colonial stability all but fell apart as the descendants of slaves and Khoisan turned on their erstwhile masters during the South African War of 1899-1902.

The history of the Boer identity is an epic saga. The Boer identity emerged in the isolation of an expansive landscape and evolved as a unique cultural entity deeply rooted in the principles of individualism, localism, independence, and freedom. The development of the Boer identity is an action-packed tale of sacrifice, suffering, loss, victory, and resilience that shaped the Boer identity. "What sets 'The Creation of the Boer Identity' apart is that it challenges the traditional perspective, which has never focused on the creation and development of the Boer identity." "It is a comprehensive exploration of the formation of the Boer identity." "The book has been extensively researched, and include information and insights not previously published in history books." "The book describes correspondence and public statements by key figures discussing specific events of that time, adding a personal and historical dimension to the story. It not only narrates the events but also provides factual insights behind them." "This work presents a fresh perspective on the history of the Boers from the viewpoint of the Boer identity." DISCOVER THIS ASTOUNDING CHRONICLE AND WITNESS THE BIRTH OF A NATION THROUGH THE LENS OF ITS TRUE IDENTITY

John F.

Translated by Margaretha Sch„fer, Pioneers of the Dorsland provides a journalistic account of PJ van der Merwe?s travels to the Northwest where he interviewed farmers, clergymen, teachers, businessmen, policemen, officials of the magistrate court, divisional council and school board. Van der Merwe introduces the narrative by explaining that it focuses on the peculiar migratory way of life of the region?s half-nomadic pioneers. He highlights his efforts as an exhaustive attempt that may prove useful to any future historian interested in the area. Van der Merwe also published other similar works during his time as a researcher, traveller, historian and journalist ? Die Noordwaartse Beweging van die Boere voor die Groot Trek, 1770?1842, Die Trekboer in die Geskiedenis van die Kaapkolonie, 1657?1842 and Trek: Studies oor die Mobiliteit van die Pioniersbevolking aan die Kaap. Pioneers of the Dorsland is also available in Afrikaans.

This volume brings together newly discovered personal journals from the mid-19th century, presented here with their original illustrations. The youthful Sherwill brothers, inheriting a family flair for science and adventure from their 18th century astronomer grandfather, Dr James Lind, and their mountaineering father, recorded their colonial travels between 1840 and 1843. These years represent a vital period of change in British domestic and colonial history, which provides the background to their minute observations of the flora, fauna and inhabitants of Southern Africa and the oceans on either side of it. One brother sets out to explore the Eastern Cape from Port Elizabeth to Colesville on the Orange River, following in the footsteps of earlier travellers, reporting on a vast land of seemingly empty veldt, which is already a deep bone of contention between Bushman, Bantu, Boer and British settler. The other describes his eventful voyage home to England from Calcutta on a sailing ship with unusual Victorian self-analysis.

This work on the pioneering history of the Boers in the Cape Colony (South Africa) before the Great Trek (1835-1846) is primarily based on research in various archives and libraries. However, the author PJ van der Merwe (1912-1979) found it desirable to personally visit different areas mentioned in the book to get to know the country and the people better and to gather oral tradition and personal information. In carrying out this fieldwork during 1938 and 1939, the author covered 15,000 miles by car and questioned hundreds of people (old pioneers, farmers, teachers, magistrates, school inspectors, livestock inspectors, surveyors and police agents). This investigation not only enabled him to better interpret the sometimes fragmentary data found in the archives and old travel descriptions, but also served to supplement it.

‘Shortly after his appointment as lecturer in Stellenbosch, historian PJ van der Merwe turned his attention to the Northwest. In those days the region was mostly unknown to people outside this part of the world. Like today, there was uncertainty then about the boundaries of this region and its sub-regions … Berigte uit die Dorsland, compiled by Van der Merwe’s daughter, Margaretha Schäfer, contains more than 200 of his magazine and newspaper articles. The articles, based on interviews and observations, offer a wealth of important information that he gathered during two extensive visits to the Northwest and surrounding regions … He realised, long before most historians, that a personal interview with someone, who has had a particular experience, was an important historical source. But, it was essential to test the evidence and verify it with that of other people. The articles in Die Burger, Die Huisgenoot, Die Landbouweekblad and Sarie Marais are accompanied by excellent photographs taken by Van der Merwe.’ HERMANN GILIOMEE

Cross-cultural encounters produce boundaries and frontiers. This book explores the formation, structure, and maintenance of boundaries and frontiers in settler colonies. The southern nations of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have a common military heritage as all three united to fight for the British Empire during the Boer and First World Wars. The book focuses on the southern latitudes and especially Australia and Australian historiography. Looking at cross-cultural interactions in the settler colonies, the book illuminates the formation of new boundaries and the interaction between settler societies and indigenous groups. It contends that the frontier zone is a hybrid space, a place where both indigene and invader come together on land that each one believes to be their own. The best way to approach the northern Cape frontier zone is via an understanding of the significance of the frontier in South African history. The book explores some ways in which discourses of a natural, prehistoric Aboriginality inform colonial representations of the Australian landscape and its inhabitants, both indigenous and immigrant. The missions of the London Missionary Society (LMS) in Polynesia and Australia are examined to explore the ways in which frontiers between British and antipodean cultures were negotiated in colonial textuality. The role of the Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand society is possibly the most important and controversial issue facing modern New Zealanders. The book also presents valuable insights into sexual politics, Aboriginal sovereignty, economics of Torres Strait maritime, and nomadism.