The black insane in the Cape, 1891–1920

This paper examines the treatment of the black insane in Cape asylums during the period 1891 to 1920. During this time racial segregation and differentiated treatment for the white and black insane was consolidated. The use of racial and cultural difference to justify differences in resources allocated to white and black asylums will be discussed. The use of black patients as an unpaid labour force will be described. Case material will be used to illustrate ways in which perceptions of the black insane affected their treatment. The paper will conclude with comments on the discursive construction of black ‘insanity’ and black ‘mentality’.