Shifting representations of South Africa in National Geographic magazine: 1960-2006 nature as allegory

Abstract

Abstract This report examines the photographic representations and re-representations of South Africa in National Geographic Magazine, with a special emphasis on how nature is used allegorically. In this analysis, the study borrows from the emerging field of Ecocriticism. The primary concerns are two-fold: firstly, the study of how the magazine's depictions of the South African natural reveal the various ways in which the human experience of nature has been constructed at different times. Secondly, the study of how the specific selections of images of nature reflect American perceptions of the socio-political climate in South Africa at certain historical moments, thereby contributing to the magazine's portrayal of a particular South African national identity at that point in time. The National Geographic Indexes were referred to, to determine which articles over the period 1960-2006, had 'South Africa' in the title. the six articles thus garnered, form the focus of the main discussion. A wide range of other articles that have appeared in the magazine were referred to sporadically and where applicable. The study is predominantly qualitative and utilises a comparative method. It has been supplemented with a quantitative content analysis of the articles in the sample that aims to measure general aspects of photographic coverage.