Afrikaans youth series books: exhibition of societal change

Abstract

This article reports research on the history of the Afrikaans youth series book in the twentieth century. The polysystem theory of Evan-Zohar was taken as a theoretical basis for this study. An analysis of the publication history, as well as the content and settings of the researched series books for Afrikaans children, indicate that they are linked to the social, political and cultural contexts of the white Afrikaans speakers for whom these books were produced. The article demonstrates why Afrikaans series books can be regarded as valuable ‘social documents'.


Innovation No.28 2004: 9-16