movement from behind the scenes, and generally subjecting the country to a campaign of insidious ideological subjugation. While this view -which in its essentials has been repeated in most commentary on the subject since 3 -might have the comforting effect of pinning the blame for unwonted developments in postwar British labour on a baleful external agency, it does not truthfully represent what was in fact an extremely complex historical situation. For one thing, it oversimplifies the British response to the American campaign, which far from being one of dumb subordination, involved a variety of reactions, including active co-operation, creative appropriation and outright resistance. For another -and this is the main point developed later -it exaggerates the concertedness and effective-46

A white-centred, or Eurocentric view of South African history has, until recently, been prevalent in textbooks and school syllabi. However, during the last two decades, a number of textbooks have appeared which provide an Afrocentric view of South African history. This article examines to what extent it is possible to overcome both Eurocentrism and Afrocentrism in the interpretation of South African history and what the role of a Christian perspective on history can and should be in this regard. It is argued that the history of South Africa should be viewed within the context of the history of the world, and that any interpretation of world history involves a philosophy of history. A Christian view o f history provides a unique perspective on the unity, history and on the role that different cultures and peoples play in the history of mankind. It is concluded that when a Christian view of history forms the basis of a scientific study of both world history and South African history, Eurocentric and Afrocentric interpretations can be avoided

Departem ent G eskiedenis, V aaldriehoekkam pus, Potchefstroomse U n iv e rs ite it v ir C h ris te lik e Hoër O nd erw ys, Potchefstroom, 2520 ABSTRACT HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE ROLE OF COLONIALISMThe a rtic le deals w ith some problems re gard ing the w o rk of those historians who t r y to evaluate the effects of modern Western colonialism on the colonized te rrito rie s of Asia and A fric a .It is argued th a t th e p o litica l, economical, social, c u ltu ra l and religious consequences have all to be taken into account and th a t, de pend ing on th e h isto ria n 's philosophical o r ideological view po int, certain consequences w ill be considered more im po rtan t than o th ers.

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