A century of mountaineering: race, class and the politics of climbing Table Mountain, 1890 – 1990
Mountaineering in Cape Town was first practised as a sport by the colonial elite during the late 19th Century. This historical review of two mountain clubs analyses the linkages between race, class and mountaineering in Cape Town, South Africa. The origins of mountaineering are inextricable f...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of the Free State
2018-12-01
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| Series: | Acta Academica |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/aa/article/view/3662 |
| _version_ | 1797265691349352448 |
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| author | Farieda Khan |
| author_facet | Farieda Khan |
| author_sort | Farieda Khan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Mountaineering in Cape Town was first practised as a sport by the colonial elite during the late 19th Century. This historical review of two mountain clubs analyses the linkages between race, class and mountaineering in Cape Town, South Africa. The origins of mountaineering are inextricable from the racial hierarchy of colonial society, which was founded upon discrimination, segregation and unequal power relations between black and white. This is evident in the development of the exclusively white Mountain Club of South Africa – an organisation deeply embedded in the privileged political establishment. Similarly, the racialised power relations of the 20th Century would be reflected in the club’s distant, exclusionary and paternalistic relationship with local black mountaineers and the Cape Province Mountain Club. Through an exploration of the developmental trajectories of these two, at one time racially exclusive, mountaineering clubs, their interaction with each other and their navigation of the contemporary socio-political context, this paper tells the history and politics of climbing Table Mountain between 1890 to 1990.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T04:45:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b7c1e9877e784be58c1f617c28a92706 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0587-2405 2415-0479 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T00:48:49Z |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | University of the Free State |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Academica |
| spelling | doaj.art-b7c1e9877e784be58c1f617c28a927062024-03-11T23:03:35ZengUniversity of the Free StateActa Academica0587-24052415-04792018-12-01502A century of mountaineering: race, class and the politics of climbing Table Mountain, 1890 – 1990Farieda Khan0Independent scholar Mountaineering in Cape Town was first practised as a sport by the colonial elite during the late 19th Century. This historical review of two mountain clubs analyses the linkages between race, class and mountaineering in Cape Town, South Africa. The origins of mountaineering are inextricable from the racial hierarchy of colonial society, which was founded upon discrimination, segregation and unequal power relations between black and white. This is evident in the development of the exclusively white Mountain Club of South Africa – an organisation deeply embedded in the privileged political establishment. Similarly, the racialised power relations of the 20th Century would be reflected in the club’s distant, exclusionary and paternalistic relationship with local black mountaineers and the Cape Province Mountain Club. Through an exploration of the developmental trajectories of these two, at one time racially exclusive, mountaineering clubs, their interaction with each other and their navigation of the contemporary socio-political context, this paper tells the history and politics of climbing Table Mountain between 1890 to 1990. http://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/aa/article/view/3662RacePoliticsMountaineeringSouth African mountain club history |
| spellingShingle | Farieda Khan A century of mountaineering: race, class and the politics of climbing Table Mountain, 1890 – 1990 Acta Academica Race Politics Mountaineering South African mountain club history |
| title | A century of mountaineering: race, class and the politics of climbing Table Mountain, 1890 – 1990 |
| title_full | A century of mountaineering: race, class and the politics of climbing Table Mountain, 1890 – 1990 |
| title_fullStr | A century of mountaineering: race, class and the politics of climbing Table Mountain, 1890 – 1990 |
| title_full_unstemmed | A century of mountaineering: race, class and the politics of climbing Table Mountain, 1890 – 1990 |
| title_short | A century of mountaineering: race, class and the politics of climbing Table Mountain, 1890 – 1990 |
| title_sort | century of mountaineering race class and the politics of climbing table mountain 1890 1990 |
| topic | Race Politics Mountaineering South African mountain club history |
| url | http://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/aa/article/view/3662 |
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