MA (Politieke Studies), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus ; The white Afrikaans speaking South African reveals inherent division throughout history. This division is more than ideologically based. It triggered, and inter alia led to the establishing of a multitude, and often opposing churches, political parties, radio stations, secret organizations, more than one cultural festival in 1988 (commemoration of the Great Trek), and more than one cultural group. The end result was the development of more than one Afrikaner identity in the 21st century. A possible explanation for the division and identity differences amongst Afrikaners can be found in two paradigms regarding Afrikaner identity that came to pass in the first half of the 20th century. That happened during a time when the elite ideologists constructed the Afrikaner by conducting a program of intensive social engineering. This dissertation is aimed to analyse the two main opposing paradigms, as well as the various forms of social engineering applicable during the development of Afrikaner identity since the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck. The understanding of the two paradigms, as well as the role social engineering played in the development of Afrikaner identity, could explain the differences in identity, as well as cultural divisions found amongst the Afrikaner of the 21st century. ; Masters