Hendrik Bernardus Thom

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Hendrik Bernardus Thom , also HB Thom (born December 13, 1905 in Jamestown near Aliwal North , Cape Colony ; † November 4, 1983 ) was a South African historian , university professor , rector and chancellor at Stellenbosch University .

Life

Hendrik Bernardus Thom was born in Jamestown in the eastern part of the Cape Colony. His family roots go directly back to George Thom, who is one of the founders of the Scottish Presbyterian Church in southern Africa.

The High School visited Thom in Burgersdorp . Thom began his studies in 1924 at Stellenbosch University. Here he earned a bachelor's degree in history and the Dutch language in 1926 and graduated with a master's degree in history in 1928 . Further study visits followed in Germany from 1928 to 1929 at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität in Berlin , in 1930 at the Sorbonne in Paris and in Amsterdam . Returning from abroad, Thom completed his doctorate in Stellenbosch with his dissertation Die geskiedenis van die skaapboerdery in Suid-Afrika (German: "The history of sheep farming in South Africa") and thus obtained his Ph.D. It was published in Amsterdam in 1936.

Now his professional activity began at the University of Stellenbosch, where in 1931 he worked as a lecturer (research assistant / lecturer) for history in this department. In 1935 Thom rose to Senior Lecturer . In 1937 he was appointed professor in this field .

From 1952 to 1960 Thom was chairman of racially oriented Afrikaner Broederbond .

In 1954 he took over the role of Rector of Stellenbosch University, which he held until 1969. He held this office for 16 years and promoted the expansion of his university location. During this time four new faculties were created. The structural progress on campus , for which he was jointly responsible , created new space for accommodation and scientific purposes.

In 1956 Thom took over the publication of the work Volkskongres oor die toekoms van die Bantoe (German roughly: "National Conference on the Future of Bantu "), a conference volume of the Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereniginge on the occasion of their meeting from June 28 to 30, 1956 in Bloemfontein where he had presided. Two years earlier, the once Prime Minister Malan appointed Commission for the socio-economic development of Bantu areas within the Union of South Africa presented its 18-volume report to the government in 1956 officially took position and the future, a central working concept of racial segregation policy was .

In the academic sector, Thom was very active as a historian and played a key role in the cultural description of Afrikaans . With his scientific work he contributed to the presentation of the history of Boer culture in the Cape region. Thom was mainly active in the Van Riebeeck-Vereniging (Van-Riebeeck-Gesellschaft) and worked as editor of their periodical publication Journal of Jan Van Riebeeck . In this overall framework Thom was an exponent of the science integrated in the apartheid system, which in his case felt connected to an ideologically influenced view of history. The University of Stellenbosch was not one of the country's open universities at this time .

In 1980 he published the 366-page work DF Malan , in which Thom dealt with the life of the former Prime Minister, an exposed apartheid politician and former Chancellor of his university. Several journal articles on Malan's political work preceded this monograph. Malan was a Chancellor at Stellenbosch University from 1941 to 1959 . The work on Malan was published in 1980, but remained unfinished.

The culmination of his academic career led him shortly before his death in 1983 to the position of the highest representative of his university, the Chancellor .

family

Thom married Maria Johanna (Ria) du Toit in 1934. The marriage remained childless.

Memberships

  • Archives Commission ( Argiefkommissie ), Chairman 1950–1955 (Archives Commission)
  • Historical Monuments Commission ( Historiese Monumentekommissie , later Raad vir Nasionale Gedenkwaardighede ) 1948–1954 (German about: Memorial Commission or Council for National Monuments)
  • Van Riebeeck-Vereniging / Van Riebeeck Society
  • Simon van der Stel Foundation (Simon van der Steel Foundation)
  • Stellenbosch Museum and membership in the Museum Council, 1962–1968
  • Afrikaner Broederbond , chairman 1952–1960

Honors (selection)

  • Academy Award for History (1952)
  • DF Malan Medal (1975)
  • Honorary doctorate from Stellenbosch University
  • Honorary doctorate from the Universiteit van die Oranje-Vrystaat
  • Award of the Decoration for Meritorious Services by the President of the Republic of South Africa (1980)
  • the drama theater at Stellenbosch University was named after him, HB Thom Theater (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Drama Department)

Honorary member

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ National Library of Australia : Entry in the online catalog: Die geskiedenis van die skaapboerdery in Suid-Afrika . on trove.nla.gov.au (English) bibliographic entry
  2. ↑ Christoph Marx : In the sign of the ox wagon: the radical Afrikaaner nationalism in South Africa and the history of the Ossewabrandwag . Münster, 1998, p. 10. on www.books.google.de (German)
  3. ↑ Hendrik Bernardus Thom: People's Congress or the toekoms van die Bantoe in South Africa . Manuscript for the opening speech of a conference of the Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereniginge in Bloemfontein. Stellenbosch 1956, 4 pages. online at Stellenbosch University Library and Information Service, HB Thom Collection . on www.digital.lib.sun.ac.za (afrikaans)
  4. ^ Hendrik Bernardus Thom et al .: Volkskongres oor die toekoms van die Bantoe. Papers en besluite: People's Congress, Bloemfontein, June 28-30, 1956 . Stellenbosch 1956. bibliographical entry in worldcat ( memento of the original from February 15, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Afrikaans) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / services.bibliothek.kit.edu
  5. ↑ Christoph Marx : Forced resettlements in South Africa during apartheid . In: Isabel Heinemann, Patrick Wagner (eds.): Science - Planning - Expulsion: Vol. 1 Reorganization Concepts and Resettlement Policy in the 20th Century . Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-515-08733-8 , pp. 188 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  6. ^ Rosemarie Breuer: DF Malan . at www.StellenboschWriters.com (English)
  7. ^ Universiteit Stellenbosch: HB Thom Theater . at www.sun.ac.za (English)

Remarks

  1. ↑ Stellenbosch University states December 3rd, probably a typo
personal data
SURNAME Thom, Hendrik Bernardus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Thom, HB
BRIEF DESCRIPTION South African historian, professor, rector and chancellor at the University of Stellenbosch
DATE OF BIRTH December 13, 1905
PLACE OF BIRTH Jamestown at Aliwal North , Cape Colony
DATE OF DEATH November 4th 1983
Place of death unsure: Stellenbosch