Conflict and Integration of Two Paradigms in South African Anthropology
Anthropological research in South Africa has been influenced by two distinct academic traditions from Britain and Germany,leading to the formation of two different branches:social anthropology,primarily using English as the medium,and volkekunde,which uses Afrikaans.These academic traditions not only exhibit differences in re-search focus,methods,and theories but also diverge increasingly in their disciplinary value orientations.Social an-thropology emphasizes universality,leans towards liberalism,and opposes colonialism and racial segregation;volkekunde emphasizes cultural specificity and is influenced by Afrikaner nationalism,becoming a source of ideology and theory for the apartheid system.These differences ultimately led the two disciplinary branches on different devel-opmental trajectories,resulting in divergent destinies.
anthropologySouth Africahistory of the disciplineapartheid