The establishment of the NWU: a journalistic history

Abstract

The establishment of the NWU: a journalistic history is an inter-disciplinary study incorporating journalism and historiography. The background to this study as it evolved from an initial corporate history-writing project to a dissertation within a journalistic history-writing context, is described in Part 1. The outcome of the prime historiographical research is found in Part 2 and is also earmarked to be published as a popular history titled Forging unity: The story of the North-West University’s first years. The to-be-published book is therefore reproduced here as it will appear, albeit in monochrome. (A full-colour digital version is also provided.) Part 2 explains how the merger between the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education and the University of North-West took place, as well as the incorporation of the Sebokeng Campus of Vista University into the Vaal Triangle Campus and the subsequent birth, integration and consolidation of the North-West University (NWU). As an interdisciplinary study theoretical orientations from both journalism and historiography anchored the research. In terms of journalism the phenomenological and sociocultural traditions, provided entry points into the study through organizational culture theory as well as ethnography and branching into institutional ethnography. Cultural history provided two approaches which served as theoretical under-pinnings for the historiography. They are the history of mentalities (which has been interpreted as the study of the emotions, feelings and attitudes associated with the theme at a specific time), but also the history of the present, whereby history is accepted as a device to understand the historical present. The study was done qualitatively in accordance with a flexible research design. A wide variety of primary and secondary sources, in particular oral history, served as the basis for the narrative. The study showed that the empirical and methodological overlap between historiography and journalism – which is not without its challenges – enabled the writing of a journalistic history of the establishment and first years of the NWU. The writing of a journalistic history of the NWU as a corporation posed difficulties. This stems from the clash between journalistic independence, as per the sociocultural tradition of the profession, and the organisational culture of corporations, which tend to shy away from history writing that would undermine their reputations. These challenges are addressed openly and discussed in Part 3.