SOUTH-AFRICAN URBAN HISTORY, RACIAL SEGREGATION AND THE UNIQUE CASE OF CAPE-TOWN

Cape Town has enjoyed an academic and popular reputation for being the most relaxed of South African cities in terms of 'race' relations. Pa rt of this reputation is based on the belief that there was much less segregation in Cape Town than elsewhere in southern Africa before Apar theid. This article reviews this contention. Attention is drawn to the extent of segregation that did exist in the city by the early twentie th century. In particular, an explanation is offered for its non-resid ential forms, a hitherto neglected exercise in South African urban his toriography. But the limits of segregation in Cape Town, the features that have contributed to its reputation for uniqueness, are also exami ned and explained. These include the existence of considerable 'misceg enation', an enduring non-racial political tradition and the fact that social segregation was far from comprehensive. The task of explaining these occurrences necessarily involves exploring Cape Town as a place , and thus needs to be a work of urban history. Using Paul Maylam's te rminology, it needs to be a 'history-of-the city', not just the 'histo ry-in-the city' that has been the dominant form in South African histo riography.