This paper investigates the history of the De Burger-Leeskring and the impact it had on Afrikaans literature and cultural development. It places the development of Nasionale Pers and the Afrikaans language within the context of South Africa’s history and the development of language, politics and culture, as well as considering book clubs or readers’ circles and their purpose within this context. This paper uses Bourdieu’s classification of different kinds of capital—specifically cultural capital and financial capital—to evaluate the success of this Leeskring [Reader’s Circle]. It was found that although not financially successful, the Leeskring’s influence on Afrikaans literature was vast.
Afrikaans developed in South Africa out of an interaction among a variety of peoples. In the beginning, Afrikaans was considered a language spoken by the lower classes, but it rose from this low position to become an official language in 1925. After the National Party started to govern South Africa in 1948, Afrikaans became the language of the oppressor during apartheid. Post‑apartheid, Afrikaners questioned their identity, feeling conflicted between pride and shame.
The magazine Ons Klyntji was established in 1896 to foster a literary culture and shape Afrikaner identity, and still exists today. Throughout its publication history, the magazine was used to promote progressive causes: first in the creation of an Afrikaans literature, and then as a vehicle for protest by Afrikaners against apartheid. Both these causes developed out of a need to find a distinct identity amongst Afrikaners. The researchers argue that the publishing of Ons Klyntji has contributed positively to progressive political and social change with regards to Afrikaner identity, particularly in the post‑apartheid period.
Nasionale Pers established a mail-order book club based on the Bertelsmann model called Leserskring in 1980. The club became incredibly successful -by 1985 it had a membership of 250 000. However, technology and a changing South African landscape brought challenges to the club. In 2016, Naspers announced that the iconic book club's doors would be shut for good. Some believe that the club experienced its success due to the culture of reading and publishing that had developed among mostly white South Africans during the apartheid period, and that with democratisation the niche it once held slowly started to disappear.
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