Status and Respectability in the Cape Colony, 1750–1870

A Tragedy of Manners

Robert Ross author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:1st Jul '99

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Status and Respectability in the Cape Colony, 1750–1870 cover

This 1999 book is a cultural interpretation of South Africa's colonial history, specifically the Cape Colony, between 1750 and 1870.

This compelling 1999 example of the cultural history of South Africa argues that cultural factors were related to high political developments in the colonial Cape. It describes changes in social identity accompanying the transition from Dutch to British overrule, and the development of white racism and of ideologies of resistance.In a compelling example of the cultural history of South Africa, Robert Ross offers a subtle and wide-ranging study of status and respectability in the colonial Cape between 1750 and 1850. His 1999 book describes the symbolism of dress, emblems, architecture, food, language, and polite conventions, paying particular attention to domestic relationships, gender, education and religion, and analyses the values and the modes of thinking current in different strata of the society. He argues that these cultural factors were related to high political developments in the Cape, and offers a rich account of the changes in social identity that accompanied the transition from Dutch to British overrule, and of the development of white racism and of ideologies of resistance to white domination. The result is a uniquely nuanced account of a colonial society.

Review of the hardback: 'There are many valuable insights in this subtle book, often with major historiographical implications … Ross has produced a bold and original book, which mixes mature reflection with fresh creative enthusiasm. He has confirmed his status as one of the leading historians of the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Cape.' The Times Literary Supplement

ISBN: 9780521621229

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 14mm

Weight: 485g

220 pages