Reclaiming our names : shifts post-1994 in Zulu personal naming practices.

Abstract

The thesis underpinning this dissertation was that, as in previous times of major social and historical change, naming practices amongst the Zulu have undergone significant changes since the advent in 1994 of a democratic govemment in South Africa. Since the democratisation process entails freedom for all, it was suspected that a differentiation process was developing within the Zulu group itself and that there were at least three broad economic groups: rural, 'rich-urban', and 'poor urban'. Fieldwork was undertaken in terms of these groups and the data obtained, analysed, and then compared and contrasted in order to identify differences and similarities and to measure shift away from traditional practices. What is apparent from the research is that while there is clear evidence of shift, the shifts that do exist, differ from group to group. The group which shows the least change is the rural, as was expected. The urban groups are fragmented into several sub-groups, most of whom differ from one another in their motivations for the changes they are making, although these seldom appear to have been made consciously.