Indigenous Resurgence in the Cape: The Intellectual Roots and Political Aspirations of Khoisan Revivalism

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ABSTRACT The Khoisan were decimated, dispossessed, and assimilated into the mixed-race group ‘coloured’ during colonialism and apartheid, spawning the myth of their extinction. However, Cape Town, where colonial history is most deeply entrenched, became the focal point of ‘Khoisan revivalism’ after the dismantling of apartheid. The origins and aims of the movement remain poorly understood, largely because of a lack of scholarly engagement with Khoisan revivalists. This article draws on governmental documents, media items, and interviews with key Khoisan revivalists and traces shifts in activist discourse, different ways of engaging the state, and significant academic, legal, and political developments. It presents a three-phased historical overview of the intellectual roots and political aspirations of Khoisan revivalism: from the 1970s, the criticism of coloured identity and writing of Khoisan revisionist historiography; in the 1990s, the identification by a group of coloured intellectuals as indigenous people and their demand for recognition by the state; and since 2012, the initiation of direct-action campaigns by a new cohort of activist, coinciding with legislative developments regarding land and traditional leadership. A new phase is arguably emerging since 2019 as Khoisan revivalists challenge and circumvent the state through party politics, land occupations, and private sector partnerships.