| Summary: | This thesis is about the history of the muthi trade (the African traditional medicine trade) since
it was introduced to Durban. "D'Urbanised Tradition" refers to the way the tradition
surrounding muthi was urbanised in Durban, and how it has been viewed as a 'de-urbanising'
element in the city. The thesis deals with the changes, over the past 100 years, to the tradition
of muthi trading that were brought about both by actors 'within' the trade - what I refer to as
'restructuring of tradition' - and by interventions from 'external' forces (the state, the
biomedical lobby and the conservationist lobby) - what I have termed 'the development of
tradition'. Whereas many studies present (Zulu) tradition as something static, this study of
"D'Urbanised tradition" focuses on change and process - why and how these changes to
tradition have occurred. It comprises an analysis of how the dialectic between change and
continuity within the muthi trade has been negotiated by strategic actors throughout the
twentieth century. Emphasis is on the economic and political potentials of tradition and
traditional medicine, and focus will be on changes in the muthi trade in Durban, using the
Russell Street Muthi Market in the 1990s as a case study. Although 'restructuring' and
'development' are kept separate in this thesis, they denote interrelated processes whereby
active agents strategically use tradition to achieve their ends. It is argued that the traditions
surrounding muthi have been manipulated both as economic as well as political tools by the
various vested interests in the trade. The thesis deals with one of the largest and most
important sectors of South Africa's informal economy, and provides a historical analysis and
case study of the strategies used by both traders and outside institutions involved in the trade.
This is done by using the paradigm of 'tradition'. === Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1999.
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