Negotiating rugby with Bloemfontein club rugby men in post-apartheid South Africa

Abstract

This dissertation critically explores the nuances of South African amateur club rugby. It considers how the participation of amateur club men actively informed the value of participation in an imagined community, in post-apartheid South Africa. In contrast to the conventional social history of South African rugby union, which has focussed on the Springboks and apartheid, this thesis engages with the participation of ‘ordinary’ men on- and off the rugby field. Building on the theory of distinction formulated Pierre Bourdieu (1979), this dissertation argues that rugby is an intersection for multiple meaningful interactions. In addition to the professional fields of South African rugby, where social mobility is often longed for and achieved, participation on the amateur field is mostly concerned with the relationships that are forged, through rugby. In the process of being an amateur rugby player, an individual learned how to participate with ‘injuries’ on- and off the rugby field. In a similar fashion to how Nancy Scheper-Hughes and Margaret Lock theorised on the mindful body (1987), however, this dissertation further elaborates how the individual body, the body social, and the body politic could embody empathy for ‘others’, through sharing an experience of injury. The amateur rugby club in post-apartheid South Africa, therefore, is a space for men to empathetically (re)imagine their participation in a community, care, and interdependence in daily life. Drawing on the work of Benedict Anderson (2006), and his imagined communities, this dissertation then ultimately ventures into the ability of amateur rugby players to enact various positions, and roles, on- and off the rugby field. Inspired by the way in which Wahbie Long (2021) moved beyond a ‘damage hypothesis’ in his approach to the shortcomings of daily life in South Africa, this dissertation then also shifts the focus from the impasse of rugby in postapartheid South Africa. It looks towards the opportunities that are available for ordinary citizens, to enact upon a better tomorrow with multiple ‘other’ men.