Identity and the geography of physical recreation: imperialism and apartheid in the South African city of Pietermaritzburg

• Published in: International journal of the history of sport Vol. 28; no. 15; pp. 2098 - 2114
• Main Author: Merrett, Christopher
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 01.10.2011
• Subjects: Apartheid; Cities; Community; Ethnic Identity; Geography; Identity; Imperialism; Pietermaritzburg; Race; Racism; Security; Segregation; Sociology of sport; South Africa; sport; Sports; Whites
• ISSN: 0952-3367; 1743-9035
• DOI: 10.1080/09523367.2011.622110

The history of the South African city of Pietermaritzburg is considered through the lens of sport to assess the changing political, economic, cultural and social relations between its four ethnic communities: African, Asian, Coloured and White. The background ideologies were imperialism, segregation and apartheid, anchored in custom, hegemony and law. For Whites, sport meant world-class facilities and a sense of security and superiority in a perceived hostile environment. For Black groups, sport also provided social cohesion, but in a marginal context. However, after the implementation of the Group Areas Act in the 1960s and mass removal of Asian and Coloured communities, sport became an arena of struggle. This extended beyond facility inequality to radically different visions of Pietermaritzburg's social geography: a non-racial city or a collection of self-governing townships. By the 1980s, the anti-apartheid sport movement had become part of a broader political struggle.