This dissertation paper aimed at investigating the changing role of documentary photography in apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa. The first chapter was an introduction of the thesis where a brief background of the history of photography in South Africa was giving. In this chapter, the research questions and objectives and significance of the thesis paper were discussed. The research questions were:
• What are the differences and similarities in documentary photography during the apartheid and post-apartheid era?
• What challenges faced South African photographers transiting between the apartheid and post-apartheid era?
In the second chapter, a review of literature written on South African photography was conducted. This is a topic that has attracted the interest of many art scholars and there is much knowledge to deduce from the content of some of the articles written by these scholars. Literature on apartheid photography as well as that on post-apartheid photography were reviewd. The third chapter was an expansive analysis and justification of the means of data collection used for this study, the tools of data collection used, and the general study method chosen for this research. For this study, a multi-method qualitative study approach was chosen to facilitate a holistic understanding of the study topic. Tools for data collection for this study were scholarly literature articles derived from online sources such as google scholar, and EBSCOhost. The fourth chapter was a findings chapter where a number of photographers and their works were discussed. This chapter analyzed the photographic transition that occurred between the two eras by analyzing some apartheid and post-apartheid photographers and their work. The discussion chapter of provides a response to the research questions by analyzing the literature review findings. This was the chapter the researcher got to put down what he had deduced from this study, respond to the research questions as well as give recommendations regarding the study topic, a summary of the study and explain the limitations of the study as well as recommendations for further research. All sources used in this research were provided in the references page.
From this dissertation, it is undeniable that photography has played a key role in shaping South African society through years in history. It is also justified to say that photography has undergone both drastic and gradual changes after the end of apartheid both context and content changes. These changes have greatly been dictated by the changing South African society as well as the changing dynamics of the world of photography. Some of these changes include changes in photograph color, changes in photo subject representation, changes in the medium of distribution, changes in operations, and changes in issues address approach. However, one similarity remains pronounced between the two photographic eras, and that is, photography is a great tool for society representation, a great tool for creating awareness on societal issues and a great tool for steering change in society, in social, political and economic aspects.
