Afrikaners en Nederlanders: stamverwante?

Abstract

Are the Afrikaners kinsmen of the Dutch?

In some recent publications the Afrikaners and the Dutch have been referred to as each other's cousins, kinsmen or relatives. Other authors, however, consider the concept of “stamverwantskap" (which can be translated as tribal affiliation or as membership of a family of nations) to be outdated and incorrect. This article briefly examines the development of the idea of "stamverwantskap” between Dutchmen, Flemings and Afrikaners and points out that this idea forms part of nineteenth-century nationalist thought. It is especially linked to the view that nations have characteristics which are similar to those of living organisms. Furthermore, the idea of kinship between the Afrikaners and the Dutch developed within the pan-Dutch movement, which had imperialist aims. It is concluded that the idea of "stamverwantskap" is incompatible with a Christian view of history and society. While the present trend is to regard all mother-tongue speakers of Afrikaans as Afrikaners, the idea of kinship is a hindrance rather than a help in the development of cultural relations between the Afrikaners and the Dutch.