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Microsoft Word - PhD Thesis Final.pdf - University of Limpopo ...

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their ages do not correspond with the historian’s chronology, and inaccurate<br />

because they imply that, for example, every member <strong>of</strong> an Iron Age<br />

community used iron tools and weapons” 15 . For this work, when tracing the<br />

earliest occupation <strong>of</strong> the Makgabeng area, these terms, Stone Age and<br />

Iron Age, were avoided as much as possible in order to eliminate the<br />

problems around them as well as the confusion they cause. Historical<br />

chronology was followed instead.<br />

In this study, the creation <strong>of</strong> communal identities in Makgabeng is first be<br />

contextualised, i.e., moving from general South African context, to the<br />

specific context, which is about the Makgabeng communities. The South<br />

African context in general (macro-context) was used as a reference <strong>of</strong> what<br />

happened — and is still happening — in the Makgabeng area (meso-<br />

context). From the meso-context level, there was a movement to the micro-<br />

context level, in which everyday activities <strong>of</strong> people in villages and families<br />

<strong>of</strong> Makgabeng were looked into.<br />

In the following few paragraphs, it will be shown how theoretical<br />

propositions were applied in the subsequent text as cross-references. In line<br />

with the theoretical proposition that links identity to globalisation, it was<br />

noted how the Makgabeng communities view themselves and/or are viewed<br />

by others. Do they see themselves/are they seen as part <strong>of</strong> the currently<br />

much-talked-about “global village”? Or do they subscribe to the currently<br />

15 L. Thompson, A History <strong>of</strong> South Africa, p. 29.<br />

12

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