Die konseptualisering van geweldpleging as faktor in die etnos-kulturele veranderingsproses uit 'n stelselteoretiese benadering

Abstract

The conceptualization of violence as a factor in the ethno-cultural process of change: a general systems approach. lnterethnic violence can be perceived as a mechanism used by ethnical groups to rearrange themselves in a cultural relationship pattern. This can be a quest for more control over culture change processes in a given intercultural communication environment. Violence poses a unique way of changing an intercultural communication process. Problem: Current anthropological and related approaches highlight to a large extent interethnic violence as an undesirable by-product of the ethnical group phenomena or as the result of certain untenable cultural traits. This goes hand in hand with a reluctance to come to grips with what is meant by key termonological concepts like culture, the ethnical group and interethnical violence. This not only leads to difficulty to derive a workable model to conceptualize violence as an input on the intercultural communication spectrum, but negates any starting point for a proper theoretical approach to the study of violence from an anthropological perspective. Aim: To construct a model based on scientific theory to conceptualize ethnical groups as systems in an intercultural communication environment . As a method to construct a model an inductive approach will be followed as given by the general systems theory of Ludwig von Bertalanffy. This theory is intent on placing the focus on intersystem relations. It also highlights the active processes involved in intersystem communication which leads to change. Applied to anthropological concepts, the ethnical group can be treated as a system in relation to other systems (ethnical groups) in a particular environment which

corresponds with a given relationship pattern which has developed between ethnical groups. Violence can be conceptualized as an input towards other ethnical groups to speed up or slow down the intercultural communication in the given environment. This designed model is applied to two examples namely the Zulu and the Malabele which found themselves in a particularly violent relationship pattern with other ethnic groups during the "Difaqane". From this application it can inter alia be derived that interethnic violence is: an input from a given ethnical group to others to influence the flow of cultural communication in order to lessen cultural inputs from them in order to retain more control over the direction of change. It can also serve to intensify acculturation, because a given ethnical group needs from outside what it cannot provide from within. it is a phase of a given intercultural pattern and not the product of a particular ethnical group. Conclusion: The study of interethnic violence has thus far suffered as a result of premises based rather on ideological and philosophical concerns. The investigation of this phenomenon from an anthropological viewpoint demands a thorough analysis of processes involved. The general systems theory offers the basic guidelines for a model from which these processes can be conceptualized. It also offers opportunities to study other aspects of interethnic relationships and can be invaluable in acculturation studies.