This address proposes to trace the history of the two leading historical societies in
South Africa: the Historical Association of South Africa (HASA) and the South
African Historical Society (SAHS). Having been founded as two separate
organisations just after the mid-twentieth century, they represented historians with
distinct – if not apparently opposing – ideological dispositions. This paper seeks to
unpack how this initial polarisation has gradually transformed and eventually
converged. Echoing the work by Karl Dietrich Erdmann and that of Robert
Townsend it also briefly considers “cleavages, debates, and forging of ties among
historians” as well as the existing division within the discipline, thus situating these
local developments within the context of the broader global historical fraternity.
Hierdie voorlegging wil graag die geskiedenis van die twee voorste historiese
verenigings in Suid-Afrika nagaan: die Historiese Genootskap van Suid-Afrika
(HGSA) en die Suid-Afrikaanse Historiese Vereniging (SAHV). Gestig as twee
afsonderlike organisasies net na die middel van die twintigste eeu, het hulle
historici met bepaalde verskillende – indien nie blykbaar teenstrydige –
ideologiese gesindhede verteenwoordig. Hierdie artikel het ten doel om uit te pak
hoe hierdie aanvanklike polarisasie geleidelik verander en uiteindelik konvergeer
het. Aansluitend by die werk van Karl Dietrich Erdmann en dié van Robert
Townsend kyk dit ook kortliks na die "gleufies, debatte, en smee van bande onder
geskiedkundiges" sowel as die bestaande skeiding binne die dissipline, en plaas
dus die plaaslike ontwikkelings binne die konteks van die breër globale historiese
gilde.
