Table Of ContentStudies in Art, Heritage, Law and the Market 2
Christian Ernsten
Colonial Heritage
and Urban
Transformation in
the Global South
Excavating the Ruins of
Cape Town’s Rebirth
Studies in Art, Heritage, Law and the Market
Volume 2
SeriesEditors
RachelPownall,SchoolofBusinessandEconomics, MaastrichtUniversity,Maas-
tricht,TheNetherlands
Ana Quintela Ribeiro Neves Ramalho, Faculty of Law, Maastricht University,
Maastricht,TheNetherlands
Christoph Rausch, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht University,
Maastricht,TheNetherlands
Hildegard Schneider, Faculty of Law, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The
Netherlands
Vivian van Saaze, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Maastricht University,
Maastricht,TheNetherlands
Renée van de Vall, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Maastricht University,
Maastricht,TheNetherlands
LarsvanVliet,FacultyofLaw,MaastrichtUniversity,Maastricht,TheNetherlands
Donna Yates , Faculty of Law, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The
Netherlands
AdvisoryEditors
BertDemarsin,KULeuven,Leuven,Belgium
Hester C. Dibbits, Department of History, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotter-
dam,TheNetherlands
PattyGerstenblith,DePaulUniversity,Chicago,IL,USA
SusanLegêne,VUAmsterdam,Amsterdam,TheNetherlands
PeggyLevitt,DepartmentofSociology,WellesleyCollege,Wellesley,MA,USA
SimonMackenzie, FacultyofHumanities andSocial Sciences,VictoriaUniversity
ofWellington,Wellington,NewZealand
Olav J. M. Velthuis, Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences, University of
Amsterdam,Amsterdam,TheNetherlands
AndreaWallace,LawSchool,UniversityofExeter,Exeter,UK
MatthiasWeller,DepartmentofLaw,UniversityofBonn,Bonn,Germany
ThebookseriesStudies inArt,Heritage,LawandtheMarketprovidesaninterna-
tionalandinterdisciplinaryforumforvolumesthat
(cid:129) investigatelegal,economic,andpolicydevelopmentsrelatedtoarts,heritage,and
intellectualproperty;
(cid:129) criticallyassesshowandforwhomartandheritagevaluescomeabout;
(cid:129) promote novel forms of user engagement, participatory presentations, and digi-
talizationofartsandheritage;
(cid:129) examine theprocessesthattransformcultural objectsandpracticesintoartsand
heritage;and
(cid:129) highlightnewapproachesinpreservationandconservationscience.
Theseriesaddressesaneedforresearchandpracticeinthefieldsofart,culture,
conservation,andheritageincludingafocusonlegalandeconomicaspects.Itdeals
withcomplexissuessuchasquestionsofauthenticityandprovenance;forgeryand
falsification;theillicittrade,restitution,andreturnofculturalobjects;thechanging
rolesofmuseums;therolesofexpertsandexpertise;andtheethicsoftheartmarket.
Moreinformationaboutthisseriesathttp://www.springer.com/series/16197
Christian Ernsten
Colonial Heritage and Urban
Transformation in the Global
South
’
Excavating the Ruins of Cape Town s Rebirth
ChristianErnsten
DepartmentofHistory
FacultyofArtsandSocialSciences,
MaastrichtUniversity
Maastricht,TheNetherlands
ISSN2524-7425 ISSN2524-7433 (electronic)
StudiesinArt,Heritage,LawandtheMarket
ISBN978-3-030-85805-6 ISBN978-3-030-85806-3 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85806-3
©TheEditor(s)(ifapplicable)andTheAuthor(s),underexclusivelicensetoSpringerNatureSwitzerland
AG2021
Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsaresolelyandexclusivelylicensedbythePublisher,whether
thewholeorpartofthematerialisconcerned,specificallytherightsoftranslation,reprinting,reuseof
illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and
transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by
similarordissimilarmethodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped.
Theuseofgeneraldescriptivenames,registerednames,trademarks,servicemarks,etc.inthispublication
doesnotimply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesareexemptfromtherelevant
protectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse.
The publisher, the authors, and the editorsare safeto assume that the adviceand informationin this
bookarebelievedtobetrueandaccurateatthedateofpublication.Neitherthepublishernortheauthorsor
theeditorsgiveawarranty,expressedorimplied,withrespecttothematerialcontainedhereinorforany
errorsoromissionsthatmayhavebeenmade.Thepublisherremainsneutralwithregardtojurisdictional
claimsinpublishedmapsandinstitutionalaffiliations.
ThisSpringerimprintispublishedbytheregisteredcompanySpringerNatureSwitzerlandAG.
Theregisteredcompanyaddressis:Gewerbestrasse11,6330Cham,Switzerland
For Adriaan
(1952–2020)
Preface
ThecomingtofruitionofthisbookonCapeTownistheresultofacreativeprocess
thatisreallyjustasuccessionofmagnificentcoincidences.Thishaphazardtrajectory
ofmomentsandmeetingsstartedwhenIwasstillagraduatestudentattheUniversity
ofCapeTown(UCT)in2005.
Sometimeinearly2005,onourwaytoaused-cardealership,Ihadaconversation
with Ntone Edjabe, a friend of my housemates. When he heard that I planned to
studyAfricanStudiesattheUCT,headvised(orperhapswarned)mefirsttoreada
1998textbytheUgandanscholarMahmoodMamdani,entitled“IsAfricanStudies
toBeTurnedintoaNewHomeforBantuEducationatUCT?”Edjabe,whoIlater
learned was the founding editor of the extraordinary Chimurenga Magazine, gave
meexactlythenudgeIneededtosetmeonthepathforanincredibleexperienceat
thisuniversity.
The“Mamdani debate”,asitbecameknown,seemedtocuttotheveryheart of
scholarship about Africa atthe time. The intellectual conversation—predominately
between this Ugandan scholar, who was appointed as the chair of the Centre for
AfricanStudies(CAS)atUCTin1996,andSouthAfricanarchaeologistandfellow
UCT faculty member Martin Hall—demonstrated in clear ways the complex rela-
tionship between power and knowledge and the contestations surrounding curricu-
lumtransformationwithinAfricanstudiesinpost-apartheidSouthAfrica(Mamdani
1999).CommentatorIsaacA.Kamolaobservedthatthedebatetookplaceatatime
when UCT was self-marketing as a “world-class African university”. Instead of
conformingtosomeglobalstandard,however,Mamdani’sargumentinsistedupona
newtypeofAfricanexcellence.ThedebateendedwithMamdani’ssuspensionfrom
hispositionaschair.
Likemanybeforeme,IwasimpressedbyUCT,oneoftheoldestuniversitieson
thecontinent.AtthattimeastatueofBritishimperialistCecilRhodes,whogifteda
sectionofhisGrooteSchuurestatein1829toestablishwhatwouldlaterbecomethe
universitygrounds,stilloccupiedaplinthabovethestepsinfrontoftheuniversity’s
mainhall.WhenIenteredCASasayounggraduatestudentin2005,theMamdani
debate felt far away. The department felt vibrant and driven by a transformative
agenda. Archaeologist Nick Shepherd (who was later to become my supervisor),
vii
viii Preface
architect Noeleen Murray and historians Ciraj Rassool and Leslie Witz from the
University of the Western Cape (UWC) were all progressive thinkers who were
involvedinteachingatCASatthetime.
ThecombinedscholarlyeffortsofRassool,Witz,andShepherdtooktheformof
the Project of Public Pasts (POPP) and were directed at problematizing both the
archive and the disciplines fundamental to representations of public history. Their
critiquewasaimedataspecifickindofknowledgeproductioninthepublicdomain.
It notonly challenged thestandardanalytical categories within theacademy,but it
also undermined the dominant historical discourse vocalized outside the university
by the institutions of the new South African state and other agencies. While the
POPPhassinceceasedtoexist,theworkofthesescholarsofhistory,aswellasthat
ofanthropologistStevenRobins,remainsformativeformyresearch.
CASalsohasagallerythathostedgreatdebatesandexhibitedinterestingartwork
while I was a student there. An exhibition that really guided my thinking on the
relationshipbetweenvisualsandtextwasentitledTheModelMan:TheHeroofhis
OwnDrama(2004).ThisexhibitionconsistedofillustrationsandtextbyartistJohan
Schönfeldt,writerIvanVladislavić,andliteraryscholarAndriesWalterOliphant.It
presentedcertainiconographicimagesandanaccompanyingstoryline.Ratherthan
the normalprocedure, in this exhibition, the narrative was written after the images
were made. I was intrigued by the idea, articulated in the exhibition brochure, of
objectsasan“augmentationtospeech”andbySchönfeldt’sremarkthatthehistory
ofAfricanoralsocietiesisconstructedfromobjects.Ifoundhisquestion:“Inspeech,
when does a speaker revert to visuals?” particularly useful for describing my early
fascinationwithheritageandurbandesigninCapeTown.
Later, when preparing for my PhD research, I would meet Vladislavić. This
author’s fiction writing on cities and on photography, especially The Restless
Supermarket (2001), The Exploded View (2004), and TJ/Double Negative (2011),
guidedmylaterthinkingandwriting.Hisco-editedworkwitharchitectHiltonJudin,
Blank—Architecture, Apartheid and After (1999), is still a seminal work on
SouthAfricancities.
TheinvaluablesuggestionthatIreadfictionwhiledoingresearchcamefromNick
Shepherd, whom I mentioned earlier. As a graduate student in archaeology and
English literature, Shepherd worked for fiction writer J. M. Coetzee, who was a
professoratUCTatthetime, ontheresearchfor White Writing:On theCultureof
LettersinSouthAfrica(1988).IreadthisworkandothertitlesbyCoetzee,butIalso
readAndréBrink,ZakesMda,NadineGordimer,andotherswhoIfeltwererelevant
intermsofaliteraryhistoryoftheCape.Beyondthissuggestion,Iamgenerallyin
debtformuchofmyresearchprogresstoShepherd.
Shepherd mentored me in 2005 when I researched the contestations around the
unearthingofhumanremainsatPrestwichStreetasagraduatestudent.Then,whileI
was developing a research proposal for my PhD project, he invited me to join the
Urban Heritage and Creative Practice project organized by Brown University in
2012inIstanbul.Thiswouldbeanotherkeymomentforme,asitwasinIstanbulthat
IwasintroducedtoimportantCapeTown-basedpractitionersinthefieldofartistic
Preface ix
research,includingartistMeghnaSingh,choreographerJayPather,andarchitectIlze
Wolff.
Later,whenIwasagainbasedatUCT,Shepherdinvitedmetojoinhisdecolonial
reading group. With his generous guidance, we read and discussed the work on
decolonial thought and practice by Walter Mignolo, Madina Tlostanova, Nelson
Maldonado-Torresandthelike.Healsointroducedmetoworkbycolleaguesofhis
from around the world working on undisciplining archaeology, notably Cristobal
Gnecco, Alejandro Haber, and Yannis Hamilakis. In general, the enthusiasm, the
creativity, and the clarity of thinking that Shepherd applies to his work have been
incrediblycontagiousandmotivationalforme.
WhilewritingthePhDmanuscriptthatisthebasisforthisbook,theRhodesMust
FallmovementsuccessfullyadvocatedfortheremovalofthestatueofCecilRhodes
at UCT and later for the decolonization of the university’s curriculum. Ironically,
perhaps in an attempt to pacify the prevailing rebellious mood, UCT Vice-
Chancellor Max Price invited Mahmood Mamdani to UCT in 2017, to deliver the
annualT.B.DavieMemorialLectureonacademicfreedom.Truetoform,Mamdani
calledforAfricanuniversities“tostopimportingWesterntheoriestoimposeonlocal
experiencesandinsteadtheorizeourownreality”.Thesemomentsweresourcesof
inspiration when writing this book. Yet, even more than the necessary inspiration
that any book requires, this book has been shaped by the enormous support I
havehad.
HereIwanttoexpressmygratitudetoanumberofotherpeoplewhosesupport
and advice, along with Shepherd’s, have been invaluable. I would like to thank
Noeleen Murray and Ciraj Rassool for their insightful comments and encourage-
ments concerning my project. My sincere thanks also go to Mikela Lundahl and
Cristobal Gnecco, who have been generous and supportive scholars. I want to
express my appreciation to Jay Pather and Laurine Platzky for their openness and
theirinterestinmyresearchproject.Inaddition,Iwouldliketothankphotographers
Dirk-JanVisser,SaradeGouveia,andBarryChristiansonforworkingwithme.
IamgratefultoChristophLinderforhostingmeasaguestPhDresearcheratthe
Amsterdam School of Cultural Analysis of the University of Amsterdam. I would
alsoliketothankIngridMartinsHolmbergandHenricBeneschforinvitingmeasa
guestPhDresearchertotheConservationDepartmentoftheUniversityofGothen-
burg.ItrulyenjoyedthemonthsIspentatGothenburgUniversity.Iamgratefulto
JanIversenforinvitingmeasaguestPhDresearchertoAarhusUniversity.Iwould
liketothankmycolleaguesattheFacultyofArtsandSocialScienceofMaastricht
University, especially Vivian van Saaze, and the Department of History for their
encouragement.IamalsogratefultomyPhDcolleaguesandfriendsMeghnaSingh
andDuaneJethro,whosecommentsandcritiqueshavebeengreatlyappreciated.
While writing my manuscript, I would often think of the typical words of
encouragement dispensed by my grandmother Auke in Groningen dialect: “Kop
d’rveur!”orstayfocused!Iwouldnothavebeenabletofinishthisprojectwithout
thesupportandunderstandingofmyfamily,mostnotablymyparents,Adriaanand
InaErnsten.ItsaddensmegreatlythatIwouldnotbeabletooffermyfatheracopy
x Preface
ofthisbook.IamalsothankfultomyfriendsinSouthAfrica,intheNetherlands,and
elsewherewhoalwayshadmyback.
Finally, I find it impossible to even imagine completing this research trajectory
withoutSuzan,mylove,friend,andcompanion.Herstrength,open-mindedness,and
love inourshared life—which,as of4May2015, includes Izaak andFelix—have
beenaguidinginspirationovertheyears.
Regarding funding, I appreciate the support of the UCT Postgraduate Funding
Office and the Critical Heritage Studies initiative at Gothenburg University. I am
alsothankfultothePrinceBernhardCultureFund,theVanEesteren-FluckandVan
Lohuizen Foundation, and the Harry Oppenheimer Institute. In terms of technical
support,IamincrediblythankfultoDanielaFrancaJoffeforhelpingwiththeediting
ofthisbook.
Partsofthisbookhaveappearedelsewhere,indifferentformats,asbookchapters
or journal articles. Parts ofChap.2, for example, were published inArchaeologies
10(2014).AnearlierversionofChap.6appearedinArchaeologies11(2015)andis
reproduced here with that journal’s permission. An earlier version of Chap. 3 was
publishedintheInternationalJournalofHeritageStudies23(2017)andislikewise
reproducedherewiththepermissionofthatjournal.Chapter7waspublishedinan
adapted form in a collection edited by Laura McAtackney and Krysta Ryzewski:
Contemporary Archaeology and the City: Creativity, Ruination, and Political
Action, published by Oxford University Press in 2017. Permission by Oxford
University Press to reproduce this chapter is hereby acknowledged. An earlier
version of Chap. 4 was published in Urban Forum 29 (2017) and is reproduced
herewiththejournal’spermission.Finally,anadaptationofChap.5waspublished
in Social Dynamics 45 (2019) and permission for reproduction ishereby acknowl-
edged.
Maastricht,TheNetherlands ChristianErnsten
2021
