War, education and identity : discord at the Transvaal University College (1914–1919)

Abstract

Before the outbreak of World War I (1914–1918), broad South Africanism appeared to have had a tentative but solid beginning at the Transvaal University College (TUC). This international conflict, however, re-ignited tensions among white South Africans, and students at the TUC were no exception. The proximity of these events to the establishment of the College seemed to push the ideal of broad South Africanism at the College beyond reach. This article considers the striking effect of World War I and the 1914 Rebellion on the consciousness of the TUC students as seen in student contributions to The T.U.C. Students’ Magazine and other events at the College. It examines in particular changing and conflicting notions of white identity at the College at this time.