Difference between revisions of "Johan Degenaar"

From ESAT
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Line 1: Line 1:
 
[[Johan Degenaar]] (1926-2015) was an academic, cultural analyst and political philosopher, with a strong interest in film.  
 
[[Johan Degenaar]] (1926-2015) was an academic, cultural analyst and political philosopher, with a strong interest in film.  
  
Born Johannes J. (“Johan”) Degenaar, he studied at the [[Stellenbosch University|University of Stellenbosch]], obtaining a BA (1946), MA (1948) and a D.Phil. (1951). In 1949 he was appointed as a lecturer in Philosophy and in 1969 made professor, later becoming head of department, a position he held till his retirement in 1991.  
+
Born Johannes Jacobus Degenaar in Ladysmith, Natal, he studied at the [[Stellenbosch University|University of Stellenbosch]], obtaining a BA (1946), MA (1948) and a D.Phil. (1951). In 1949 he was appointed as a lecturer in Philosophy and in 1969 made professor, later becoming head of department, a position he held till his retirement in 1991.  
  
He was married Jetty Maria Houtman, en het twee seuns, Hans Degenaar en [[Marc Degenaar]] (a film cameraman).
+
He was married Jetty Maria Houtman, and the couple had two sons, Hans Degenaar en [[Marc Degenaar]] (a film cameraman).
  
 
== His influence on South African theatre, film, media and performance ==
 
== His influence on South African theatre, film, media and performance ==

Revision as of 08:23, 21 December 2015

Johan Degenaar (1926-2015) was an academic, cultural analyst and political philosopher, with a strong interest in film.

Born Johannes Jacobus Degenaar in Ladysmith, Natal, he studied at the University of Stellenbosch, obtaining a BA (1946), MA (1948) and a D.Phil. (1951). In 1949 he was appointed as a lecturer in Philosophy and in 1969 made professor, later becoming head of department, a position he held till his retirement in 1991.

He was married Jetty Maria Houtman, and the couple had two sons, Hans Degenaar en Marc Degenaar (a film cameraman).

His influence on South African theatre, film, media and performance

Of importance for this publication are his provocative teaching and many popular and talks on theatre, film, media, literature, art - in particular his analyses of contemporary films. This made him a cult figure among cultural organizations and thinkers in the 1990s, and a favourite keynote speaker at conferences and festivals.

He was an outspoken critic of apartheid from the 1960s onwards, and he set up a hugely influential and famous monthly Gespreksgroep ("discussion group") (as well as other seminar-type discussions) on and off the campus in Stellenbosch. These became a gathering point for the more enlightened and rebellious academics, critics and artists at the University and the surrounding areas, a series of sounding boards for the ideas of other cultural and political theorists of the time.


Sources

https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_Degenaar

Matieland 2015, P. 35.

Go to the ESAT Bibliography

Return to

Return to ESAT Personalities D

Return to South African Theatre Personalities

Return to Main Page