Memories of a Lost Cause. Comparing remembrance of the Civil War by Southerners to the Anglo-Boer War by Afrikaners

Abstract

English

This article explores similarities in the way in which Southerners in the United States and Afrikaners in South Africa looked back upon the Civil War of 1861-1865 and the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902 respectively. Both the Southerners and the Afrikaners were defeated and lost what they perceived to be their freedom. Both communities found it extremely difficult to accept defeat and sought to redeem themselves. In the respective redeeming processes, developments which were surprisingly similar took place, such as the building of numerous memorials not only to honour the sacrifices of the “heroes” who gave their lives for cause, but also to legitimise their struggles against “invaders” from the outside. The commemoration of the Lost Cause of respectively the Southerners and the Afrikaners, was still vibrant more than a century after the respective wars. The clear conclusion is that communities do not readily forget what they perceive as malignant actions against them.

Afrikaans

Hunkering na ʼn Verlore Droom. ʼn Vergelyking van die Suiderlinge se herdenking van die Burgeroorlog en Afrikaners se herdenking van die Anglo-Boereoorlog 

In hierdie artikel word ondersoek ingestel na die ooreenkomste in die wyse waarop Suiderlinge in die Verenigde State van Amerika en Afrikaners in Suid-Afrika onderskeidelik na die Burgeroorlog van 1861-1865 en die Anglo-Boereoorlog van 1899-1902 teruggestaar het. Beide die Suiderlinge en die Afrikaners is verslaan en het wat hulle as hulle vryheid beskou het, verloor. Dit was vir beide gemeenskappe uiters moeilik om die nederlaag te aanvaar en hulle wou hulleself rehabiliteer. In die onderskeie rehabilitasieprosesse het hoogs vergelykbare verwikkelinge plaasgevind, soos die bou van gedenktekens om nie net hulde te bring aan die opofferings van “helde” wat hulle lewens vir die droom opgeoffer het nie, maar ook om terselfdertyd die stryd teen die “invallers” van buite te regverdig. Die herdenking van die Verlore Droom van onderskeidelik die Suiderlinge en die Afrikaners is meer as ʼn eeu na die onderskeie oorloë steeds aan die orde van die dag. Dit is duidelik dat gemeenskappe nie maklik ʼn daad wat hulle as ʼn onreg beleef, vergeet nie.