The Fallist student movements in South Africa (2015-2016) ignited intense debates about language and exclusion at Stellenbosch University. This ethnographic research explores the complex social dynamics at the university, revealing how language and race intertwine, fracture, and sometimes even bridge divides. Drawing on interviews, observations, and conversations, the study uncovers the historical roots of persistent segregation between white students and their Black, Coloured, and Indian peers. It also highlights English’s privileged status as a gateway to international opportunities, particularly for white Afrikaans-speaking students considering emigration. The research grapples with questions of historical responsibility for today’s white, Afrikaans-speaking South Africans, and examines the implications of increased English instruction at Stellenbosch. By exploring the construction of "whiteness," the navigation of social risks, and the dynamics of power, this work offers a multifaceted perspective on the evolving linguistic landscape at this historically Afrikaans institution.
"Few universities in the world have had the privilege of being studied by as talented a scholar as Patricia Johnston-Castle, and this, in such an erudite manner as the University of Stellenbosch is subjected to, in this book. But this book is as much about the University of Stellenbosch as it is about the wine town of Stellenbosch in South Africa. It is as about South Africa’s 30yr old attempt to transform from Apartheid to democracy, from division to unity, from racism to anti-racism. This is ’an ethnographic study of the relationship between identity and belonging’. It is set within the academic discipline of anthropology. And yet, this is a book that seeks to revolutionise anthropology itself, taking anthropology from and beyond the focus on the so-called ’savage tribes’ of the world. Here is an anthropological study that departs from the conventional. Instead of the usual and well established anthropological path of studying the lower ’other’, this book studies the most elite and dominant groups in South Afrikan society - the Afrikaners and one of the dearest institutions ever - the University of Stellenbosch. This scholarly book is as riveting as it is ’unputdownable’." Professor Tinyiko Maluleke, Theologian, leading academic, Vice Chancellor and Principal, Tshwane University of Technology.
"Patricia Johnson-Castle’s Uitlanders in Stellenbosch is a vital contribution to critical whiteness studies, offering a historically grounded and politically engaged ethnography of race, language, identity, and belonging at Stellenbosch University. Her fieldwork took place at the height of South Africa’s post- apartheid racial and economic justice activism, exemplified by the #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall student movements. Through an empirically rich exploration of everyday student life, Johnson-Castle sensitively unearths the racial and linguistic hierarchies and exclusions that pervade a university setting where Afrikaner identity remain dominant. By highlighting the perspectives of students from diverse backgrounds, she reveals how whiteness functions through a complex set of practices that impact both those who benefit from it and those resisting its influence. This work provides a nuanced understanding of South Africa’s ongoing struggle for transformation and is essential reading for anyone interested in social justice and the anthropology of race and identity in southern Africa and beyond." Vito Laterza is Associate Professor in Global Development at the University of Agder, Norway, and a 2024-2025 Visiting Fellow at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study.
