The Concentration Camps of the Anglo-Boer War: A Social History

by Elizabeth van Heyningen

A general history of the concentration camps of the Anglo-Boer War, and the first to make an in-depth use of the very rich and extensive official documents in the South African and British archives, this book provides a fresh perspective on a topic that understandably arouses emotions because of the great numbers of Afrikaners—especially women and children—who died in the camps. Set in the larger context of colonialism at the end of the 19th century, this fascinating account overturns many previously held assumptions and conclusions. Arguing that British views on poverty, poor relief, and the management of colonial societies all shaped administration, this social history also attempts to explain why the camps were so badly administered in the first place and why reform was so slow—suggesting that divided responsibility, ignorance, political opportunism, and a failure to understand the needs of such institutions all played a part.

Genres: History, South Africa, Africa, Nonfiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2013

Reviews

[Larsen Bjorn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boer children died because of "unhygienic habits" ? I guess victim blaming attains academic acceptability if the subject is the Boers. No doubt it was later used for propaganda purposes. But that does not change the fact that the Boer War was the greatest tragedy in South African history, a country with no shortage of tragedies. And it was a tragedy inflicted with deliberate planning and ruthless execution, as only the queen's empire could.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scholarly work, requiring reader perseverance, which will expand both the breadth and depth of anyone's understanding of a very ugly part of SA's history: the concentration camps. Lord Kitchener was notoriously dismissive of 'humanity in war' and the camps were a military response to the refugee problem following the British 'slash and burn' strategy in the countryside. Yet the military, partly because they were under the spotlight of pro-Boer sympathies abroad, was willing to manage the civilian population and in some camps they did this well, in others appallingly. Van Heyningen cautions against oversimplification: the 'refugees' included not just the Boer women and children who were centre stage (both the more 'genteel' as well as poor bywoners) but men, Uitlanders and people of colour too. The bywoners, like rural peasantry, represented pre-industrial people whose living standards were already at odds with the camp doctors and administrators. Yet there was immense suffering, poor quality food and rampant disease in the overcrowded and more poorly-resourced camps, and there was often rigid bureaucracy and incompetence on the side of the British. Emily Hobhouse and friends, and to a lesser degree the British Ladies Committee, worked to alleviate the worst ills and raise awareness of the conditions in the camps, but ultimately, the death toll was in the thousands. Today we still grapple with this highly complex and emotionally charged subject. As the author points out, a nationalist Afrikaner mythology grew from it and even the Vrouemonument, intended to memorialise the suffering of Boer women, was soon after its erection in 1913 'appropriated' by the 'rhetoric of (white) male supremacy' (Elsie Cloete) for Afrikaner nation building. Van Heyningen uses mostly primary sources and extensive archival sources as seen in 50 pages of notes and references. An impressive and balanced social history.

[Ilze · Rating 4 out of 5]

So you're thinking that people are having a tough time at the moment?

Methinks it's nothing compared with what a lot of women and children experienced between 1899 and 1902(or 3 if you think how long it took for the camps to close and folk to be repatriated). My paternal great grandmother Spies fled to the Drakensberg and spent the war hiding in the caves. If this book is to be believed, she was one of about 1500 women who managed to escape the camps (my great grandfather was sent to a camp in Ceylon).

What I appreciate about Van Heyningen is her absolute objectivity and readability. It might come across as "academic", but it's very readable. She gives you the facts and allows you to work out how bad it was for yourself. Everything is put into context and I finally have a much better understanding of what might've happened in the camps during those years and why. Not only is Van Heyningen objective, she also approached her subject from all angles and allows you to understand why things were interpreted (incl. photos) the way they were.

On a personal note, here is something that struck a chord with me (page 12): "Camp history was formed through a similar haze, consisting of poetry, music, commemoration, memorials and women's testimonies. Of all these, poetry was perhaps the most powerful." The most powerful?! So what is preventing modern man from reading poetry? If it has such a powerful impact, why has its effect waned?

Then, on page 136, "... tuberculosis, an insidious, chronic infection, left almost no one untouched." It left ALMOST NO-ONE UNTOUCHED - sounds like Covid-19, yet the modern world is virtually on an entire shut down because people are so scared of contracting it or dying. This says a lot about how humans have changed. In those days you got sick and you often died, not sometimes, OFTEN, read MOSTLY. So why do we have this crazy reaction to a new disease, may I ask?

[Lawulani Gaba · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a thought provoking book which looks at the horrific treatment of women during the Anglo-Boer period. There are also pictures in the book which shows the type of conditions these women were in. I think the author did a good job in bringing out the struggle of women within these camps however she fell short in the treatment of black people within these camps.

[Anıl Bülent · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives the reader a clear and sideless understanding of the circumstances for women and children in the camps during Boer War.

[Garth · Rating 3 out of 5]

More academic than my usual history fare, but an interesting read which filled gaps in my understanding of these camps, and exposed many more gaps in my knowledge about the whole war.