A hermeneutic analysis of small monuments and memorials: the burgher memorial and black concentration camp in Theunissen

The construction or deconstruction of monuments and memorials is an ongoing process in a transformative society such as South Africa. The majority of the research on monuments and memorials focuses on larger, more prominent monuments and memorials that are constantly in the public eye. The more prominent monuments and memorials are also already well defined in a hermeneutical idiom in relation to context (primary level) and text (secondary level). However, on a different level smaller monuments and memorials are not in the public eye. In many instances the smaller monuments and museums have already simply slipped into oblivion. In most of these cases the text and context of the monument and memorial have been eroded and compromised. The aim of the article is to conduct a case study of two smaller, lesser known monuments and memorials. It will be demonstrated from a hermeneutical perspective how context and text are an essential part of the discourse.