Geoff Cronjé

Geoff Cronjé (1907-1992) was an academic, university professor, cultural leader and founding head of the drama department at the University of Pretoria.

Biography

Born Geoffrey Cronjé on 30 December 1907 in Barrydale in the Cape Province, the youngest of fourteen children. He received hsi schooling at a farm school at De Draai in die Riversdal district and then at the Riversdal Seunsskool.

He completed an M.A. degree at the University of Stellenbosch in 1929, then went to Amsterdam to complete the degree Drs. Paed. (1931) and D. Litt. et. Phil. (1933) in Sociology. An avid student he alo aquired two more doctorates over the years and was head of three departments at the University of Pretoria. In 1934 he was appointed as a lecturer in the joint department of sociology and social work at the University of Pretoria and in 1937, he was promoted to professor and head of the department of Sociology, where he served till 1966. In 1948 he argued for and succeeded in establishing criminology as a subject at the univbersity and in 1961 was made Chair of the Faculty of Humanities ("Fakulteit van Geesteswetenskappe") at the university. In 1965 he was persuaded to create and head a department of Drama in the university, a position he held till his retirement.

As a sociologist and cultural leader he was seen as a seminal contributor to the theory of apartheid and its implementation in South Africa during the 1940s -1950s.

He was married to a Marie Pretorius and passed away on 23 January 1992.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

He became chairman of the National Theatre Organisation board in 1954 and remained till its demise in 1962, finding himself at the centre of much of the later infighting. He was also a member of the PACT board of control in later years.

He was also a member of the publications control board.

In 1965 he was persuaded to become the founding Professor of the Department of Drama at the University of Pretoria, where he remained till his retirement in 197*. His speciality was dramatic theory and his book, Die Drama as Speelstuk ("The play as performance piece"), was widely used by students.

Besides the book, he also wrote many articles on the literary, performative and sociological aspects of theatre and drama.