'We knew our place': A study of the constructions of coloured identity in South Africa

This thesis is a case study of the constructions of Coloured identity in South Africa. It examines the processes through which the identity has been constructed by tracing the interaction between discourses, agents and contexts from the period of slavery to the Post-apartheid era. It therefore breaks with the common portrayal of the identity as a twentieth century phenomenon, showing the historicity of the identity. The thesis also highlights the articulation between nation-building exercises and sub-identity claims.