The origins of agrarian capitalism in South Africa: a critique of the ‘social history’ perspective

Abstract

The ‘social history’ perspective is the dominant intellectual paradigm guiding historical research in the field of agrarian studies. By making use of previously untapped primary source materials and by narrowing the focus of historical investigation, social historians have made great strides in pioneering whole new arenas of scholarly research. Yet the ‘social history’ paradigm does not rest on solid epistemological and conceptual footing. Its deficiencies stem from the failure to specify theoretically the nature and character of agrarian capitalism and the practice of substituting uncritically group dynamics for class analysis. These weaknesses reinforce an unfortunate tendency towards theoretical agnosticism and conceptual eclecticism, which in turn limit the intellectual capacity of the social history paradigm to offer a coherent and consistent explanation for the peculiarity of South Africa's agrarian transformation.