Life. Language. Learning... The Archive

Image: http://thelifeofseb.wordpress.com

This is the archive of

a blog exploring aspects of 

life, language and learning
from the perspective of 
a communication and learning researcher. 

2008-2013

Images of Readers - Presentation by Lize Kriel

This is the fourth installment in a series on presentations from the Print, Publishing and Cultural Production in (South) Africa Seminar held at the University of Pretoria on Monday, 13 May 2013.

Riveting. Galvanasing. Explosive. Not descriptions of the average late-morning academic seminar session. Yet this finely crafted presentation with its gripping visuals and powerful call to action had an immediate impact that provoked deep thought and lively discussion days later. Since perceptions of the presentation ignited some controversy among undergraduate students, I would like to point out that it presents a neutral observation and seeks explanations, in the spirit of the academic endeavour, and should be seen in that light. 

Images of Readers

Prof. Lize Kriel, Pretoria University Department of Visual Arts

Image: Gustave Courbet (Public Domain) 

Images of readers - usually of the impressionistic, chocolate box variety - have been an established feature of Western art for centuries. While the general image seems overly familiar, this presentation investigated the cultural assumptions underlying these well-known images, and the gaping voids in the seeming over-abundance. 

The Privileged Lady of Leisure

Through the presenter's lovingly curated collection of image after image of readers, a theme clearly began to emerge. The reader presented and idolised in historical Western art is more often than not a woman. Not just any woman: reading has, historically, been the domain of the privileged, not only because of literacy but also because reading for pleasure calls for free time. And so it is that the plethora of art work repeatedly portrays European ladies of leisure, often in luxurious or outdoor surroundings (and, for some apparently unrelated reason, in various stages of undress.) While the activity of reading can signify knowledge and power, however, these readers seem removed from the real world where action is taken, thanks to a male benefactor who bestows upon them the luxury of boudoirs and gardens and a deadening abundance of leisure time to live vicariously through books over which they languidly and elegantly and anonymously pore. 

Where are the Other Readers? 

Judging by historic art, and even more recent photography, leisure readers are women - privileged and pale. The central question raised by Prof Kriel is where the other readers are, beyond this mode and gender and race? While they certainly exist, they are not nearly as frequently documented.

The occasional men who are pictured with books, unlike the ladies of leisure, tend to have names - big, intellectual, influential names. These men read with reason and purpose tied to action, even when they happen to be reading for leisure. 

Across the race barrier, the pickings are even more sparse, specifically in South African art and photography. Documented images portraying black Africans with books tend to have a colonial angle: these usually feature local missionaries who have completed rigorous training in the imported religion, or school children who have received books donated from abroad (presumably in a language they do not yet understand). Although books signify knowledge and power, these rare images of African readers cast their subjects in a submissive role. However, although sparsely documented in images, the book did indeed play its part in empowerment, as discussed elsewhere this seminar. 

Image: Schoolgirls by Gerard Sekoto

Tackling Stereotypes

Amid the dearth of images of female and black South African readers, there are welcome examples of reading for pleasure, power and subversion. Artist and musician Gerard Sekoto often portrayed books and readers as focal points in his paintings of everyday South African life. The painting alongside, entitled Schoolgirls, was cited as an example of enthusiastic, and judging by the extent of enthusiasm, most likely also subversive, reading. Audience response to the painting was remarkable, not only because it was so welcome and uplifting, but also because, as Prof. Kriel pointed out, one simply has to wonder what these girls are reading with such gusto. 

The presentation ultimately poses the question whether the dearth of images of multi-gender, multiracial readers from South Africa is a reflection of circumstance or a reflection of social reality, and what the implications are. As a call to action, it is an open invitation to visual artists to fill the void and present us with local images of readers. And perhaps it is an invitation to all South Africans to make reading such a part of life that its visual representation becomes almost unavoidable. 

Comments

There are many possible reasons for the scarcity of images of readers from South Africa. The country's history of conflict and inequality meant that leisure time for reading has rarely been abundant. Moreover, economic circumstances still mean, to this day, that access to books cannot be assumed. Moreover, although enough blame has been cast on the education system locally, one sadly has to wonder whether it has yet resulted in levels of literacy that make reading more pleasure than pain.

It is also true that among the many rich cultural production activities in the region, written text was not a traditional means of communication: this function was performed in other media like paintings, bead work, weaving, oral histories and music that were all encoded and decoded with very specific meaning. For this reason I would personally venture to say that if the definition of "reading" were expanded to include the traditional means of cultural production mentioned above, we may find a wealth of images. 

Finally, as technology spreads, reading in the traditional sense increasingly involves a screen rather than a book.  In Africa this has already reached the proportions of an informational earthquake. It will be very interesting to see if zealous reading for pleasure might not become a more prominent feature than ever before - in life as well as in art. 

Contemporary Print Culture from Collections - Presentation by Sally Hughes

This is the third installment in a series on presentations from the Print, Publishing and Cultural Production in (South) Africa Seminar held at the University of Pretoria on Monday, 13 May 2013.

This presentation offered a glimpse of a world that is in many ways very different from the one explored in the rest of this seminar: it took the participant from the vibrant and often undocumented cultures of Africa to the meticulously catalogued universe of collections - museums, galleries and the like. As something of an organization fiend (you hadn't noticed?) I must admit that I find the systematic nature of collections deeply reassuring, and this presentation offered an interesting glimpse into the reasoning behind the publishing endeavours that have become an integral part of cultural curation. 

Contemporary Print Culture from Collections

Sally Hughes, Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies

Books published by museums, galleries and exhibitions offer what Dr Sally Hughes calls a "legacy of an ephemeral event". In this respect, publications from collections are a very unique kind of book for a rather unique (and often elite) audience. What sets these books aside, in an era where so many cultural products are heading for our computers, tablets and smartphones, is that they are stubbornly resisting digitisation. Moreover, while these books have a small, niche market and a high cost, their survival is remarkable. Here, it appears, is a genre of books that is here to stay. The presenter highlighted the reasons for collections to publish, for visitors to buy books and the general development of books from collections. 

Reasons for Collections to Publish

The most obvious reason for collections to publish is as a source of funding. However, considering the high costs of production and the relatively limited target market, there must be more to it. Dr Hughes emphasised the fact that in addition to funding, and the twin aim of developing a collection's brand, these books also develop their audience to have a deeper awareness of a particular exhibition - and their interest in later exhibitions. Moreover, many collections focus on children as a potential audience for their exhibitions, both present and future. One notices that a profit motive is not entirely absent, yet publications from collections undoubtedly also aim to serve the greater good. 

Reasons for Visitors to Collections to Buy Books

In a contemporary museum or exhibition, all roads lead to the gift shop at the exit. As mentioned above, these shops serve the very valuable purpose of funding collections the public has the privilege to access, and books are generally among the more high-ticket items up for sale. Why is it that visitors sustain the production of books from collections, rather than simply opting for memorable trinkets? Books from collections are often bought as souvenirs, especially in the case of temporary collections. Museums, galleries and exhibitions are also (if somewhat regrettably) considered a rare form of cultural capital, and there is no denying the unspoken authority of a coffee table book from a respected museum. No point having that on your Kindle, is there? Yet buyers' genuine interest in content should not be underestimated, especially when it comes to images. Ultimately, buying a book from a collection is also a way of giving something back, especially in museums where the entrance fee is subsidised or nonexistent. 

Development of Books from Collections

In a bid to serve its public and remain competitive, books from collections are evolving their approach. Whereas images were once accompanied by more extensive explanatory text, they now dominate pages at the front of most books, leaving sparser text for the notes at the back of the book. This makes sense not only in terms of readers' primary interest in the images, but also production costs. In addition, collections are increasingly taking more creative approaches to set their publications apart and make them more relevant to a larger public. An example from this presentation was the collaboration of the British V&A Museum with Japanese anime artist to create a series of graphic novels. Although print is likely to survive the digital revolution in this particular genre, I personally would expect collections to expand into the digital terrain, of not to replace its publications, to connect with them and, in particular, to woo the wired younger generation to the hallowed halls of museums. 

My burning question: Although many collections are true gems, they sadly tend to be a rather elitist institution. Due to high costs, their publications tend to be even more so. What avenues would make collections, and their publications, more accessible (and perhaps more palatable) to a broader public? This question is especially pertinent in the developing world with its vast young population whose future success will depend in great part on the inspiration of great ideas. 

The Intersection of Manuscript and Print in Timbuktu - Presentation by Shamil Jeppie

This is the second installment in a series on presentations from the Print, Publishing and Cultural Production in (South) Africa Seminar held at the University of Pretoria on Monday, 13 May 2013. 

Until very recently, to the average person the name Timbuktu simply signified a very remote and possibly fictional place. I remember my delight, as a child, at actually finding it in an atlas: Timbuktu really existed! In 1988 the ancient desert city was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the distinctive cultural treasures of its ancients mosques and mausoleums. In 2012, however, Timbuktu made news headlines for an unfortunate reason: violent conflict in Mali threatened the antiquities housed by the city. Among Timbuktu's antiquities is a rare, historic collection of manuscripts with intriguing implications. 

The Intersection of Manuscript and Print in Timbuktu

Shamil Jeppie, Project Director, Timbuktu Manuscript Project; Professor, Department of Historical Studies, University of Cape Town

West African manuscripts are loose-bound. Image: time.com

The Timbuktu Manuscript Project at the University of Cape Town has been instrumental in present-day cataloguing, archiving and study of the Timbuktu manuscripts since 2003. This presentation introduced the ground-breaking role of the project, not only in the study of these manuscripts but in raising awareness of pre-colonial book culture in Africa. 

After two decades of dedicated work on the ancient manuscripts of Timbuktu, Shamil Jeppie relates his findings with all the contagious zeal of an Indiana Jones in tweed. He marvels at the fact that, in the face of such compelling evidence, official histories of Africa still stubbornly insist that the book arrived in Africa with European colonists just a few hundred years ago. Since the Timbuktu Manuscript Project studies manuscripts from across Africa, there is ample evidence of rich book traditions, both in West and East Africa. Interestingly, manuscripts in West Africa were loose-bound in leather covers (see image), while those further East were bound much in the manner of today's books. The reason for the East-West divide is not apparent. 

It is true that South African interest in Timbuktu has drawn criticism, most recently in an article by Hans Pienaar in Business Day (March 5, 2013), who quotes an unnamed American author as saying that Timbuktu was no literary Mecca but simply "a giant Xerox machine in the desert." In the study of manuscripts, where meticulous copying by hand far predated the printing press, Professor Jeppie retaliates that the phenomenal human "Xerox machine" is in fact worthy of celebration. 

In particular, the presentation investigated the contribution of the Timbuktu collector Ahmed Belarif, who not only obtained and curated manuscripts, but also copied them. In many cases it appears that his copying work evolved into something of an editorial function: his copies of jurisprudential texts became considerably heftier than the originals. With 20/20 historical hindsight it is also ironic to note that in an essay of his own, entitled On the Importance of History, Belarif accuses his contemporaries in Timbuktu of disregarding the value of their heritage. A further striking point is that with the introduction of movable type for Arabic script, Belarif has no qualms about the innovation, unlike rather luddite copyists elsewhere who considered print something of a perversion of their craft. 

The presentation closed with images from the Timbuktu Manuscript Project collection, and I was so riveted that I would not have been surprised to find a film of manuscript dust on my shoulders at the end of it. It turns out that, although Timbuktu is a real place (all too brutally real, considering recent events), it is nonetheless the stuff of legend. 

My burning question: Although I am fiercely in favour of acknowledging pre-colonial cultural production in Africa, one cannot ignore the fact that these manuscripts are in Arabic script, with the vast majority of them in the Arabic language. Although it arrived well before the European colonists,  the Arabic script and language were patently not homegrown. The question, then, is to what extent these manuscripts should be viewed as representative of cultural production in Africa. Let the record show that I am absolutely backing the home team here... but inquiring minds want to know. 

Book History in South Africa: Recent Developments and Prospects - Presentation by Archie L. Dick

By sheer serendipity I was lucky enough to attend the first sessions of the Print, Publishing and Cultural Production in (South) Africa Seminar at the University of Pretoria Graduate Centre this morning. Supported by the University of Pretoria, Oxford Brookes University, the British Academy and the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), the event brought together scholars from the motley fields that kindle the interdisciplinary study of Book History. The sessions gave both an introduction to the value of Book History in general and some unique interpretations of what this field means in Africa, where "books" do not always involve either paper or text. Although I was only able to attend the first few presentations, they were so thought-provoking that I would like to briefly share their essence here in the next few posts, beginning with the first presentation of the day. 

Book History in South Africa: Recent Developments and Prospects

Archie L. Dick, Department of Information Science, University of Pretoria

Image: UKZN Press

Professor Archie Dick's recent book The Hidden History of South Africa's Book and Reading Cultures (pictured left) has established him as something of a figurehead among local Book History scholars. During this presentation he successfully demonstrated the value of the study of Book History with a teasing glimpse into his own detective work on books and reading in South Africa's checquered past. 

The presenter's central argument was that this field of study intersects significantly with other areas of society and culture throughout history. Two examples from his own research cemented the point. 

On the one hand, he quoted an "unsolved mystery" in the the history of the Afrikaans language. This case involved a comparative glossary of words in the Dutch, Khoi and Latin languages compiled by an early Dutch settler at the Cape. While correspondence regarding the list survives, it seems there was a huge bungle with the attribution of authorship commonly acknowledged in histories of the language, while no trace of the actual original list has yet been found. This very crucial link in the development of a language that became so contentious at the southern tip of Africa is simply missing, leaving a trail of unanswered questions. 

On the other, he referred to the unexpected impact on South Africa of an unlikely agent: none other than the nineteenth century novelist Charles Dickens. It turns out that Dickens had a fourfold influence on affairs here in the south of the supposedly Dark Continent. Firstly, his works were serialised (generally without the disgruntled novelist's permission) in South African newspapers, and became wildly popular, being read aloud and passed along. Secondly, the arrival of his full novels in local libraries stirred up a furore over what virtuous locals considered to be their questionable morals. Thirdly, Dickens' disctinctive characters soon found their way (once again without their creator's consent) to the stage in homespun scripts that brought ephemeral stardom to amateur thespians around the country. Finally, and most strikingly, works like Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities played a cameo role in South Africa's own revolution. Since these novels were considered classics, they were freely available, unlike overtly political books that were banned lest they foment uprising. Yet the powerful undercurrents of class conflict in these works played an insidious role in inspiring young intellectuals during the liberation struggle against the apartheid regime. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," Dickens had written in A Tale of Two Cities. He may as well have been describing the Struggle. 

These fascinating flights through the past served to demonstrate how Book History casts a unique light on what the speaker calls "the making, un-making and re-making of history". It is not at all impossible that this engaging presentation recruited more than a few newcomers into the fold.

My burning question: During the seminar several references pointed to forms of cultural production that, although they are not "books" made of paper or containing alphabetic texts, have been massively significant in South African culture. These include rock art and story cloths. I would love to know where Book History situates these very important artifacts in its study. Are they the "books" of history?