LEWE NA APARTHEID: LIDMATE SE NARRATIEWE VANUIT 'N ...

Abstract
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Living beyond apartheid: narratives of church members from a longitudinal
pastoral involvement
Abstract
How do white Afrikaans Christians live in post-apartheid South Africa? This is the
question that is investigated in this longitudinal research. The co-researchers are
white members of the Dutch Reformed Church (Welkom South congregation).
Over a period of fourteen years (1998-2012) they were twice given the opportunity
to tell their self-narratives. The study uses the Trust and Reconciliation
Commission’s (TRC) revelations as a backdrop for their stories. The themes
include white people’s idea of apartheid, guilt and confession of guilt, reconciliation
and the role of the church in all of these. The report is presented according to the
ABDCE narrative research model.
Chapter one is a story of action. This tells of the 1994 political transition and the
following TRC. The report is placed within practical theology and specifically in a
postmodern paradigm. Social construction discourse is discussed as well as the
methodology used. The method used in the initial and follow-up research is
explained as well as the origin of the transcriptions that is included as
attachments.
The second chapter is a story of the background and focuses on the background
and origins of apartheid as seen through the eyes of the co-researchers. Then the
fourteen years before the follow-up research is examined. The opinions of the coresearchers
are given under the headings of uncertain, disillusioned, excited and
dishonest. The role of the church are portrayed in two sections: first the period
before 1998 and the time since 1998. Lastly two models are suggested as lenses
through which transformation can be viewed.
In chapter three (a story of development) the co-researchers are given a bigger
voice. With the use of longer and shorted extracts from the transcription the
position of each is described. The pertinent question is how they viewed apartheid
through their white eyes. The co-researchers then react to the TRC disclosures.