Wilhelm Bleek

Wilhelm Heinrich Immanuel Bleek was a German linguist who lived in the Cape Colony and developed a particular interest for the languages and culture of the San peoples. He is the author of A Comparative Grammar of South African Languages. His great project, jointly executed with Lucy Lloyd in collaboration with San individuals who came to stay at his house for months or years, is the Bleek and Lloyd Archive of ǀXam and ǃKung texts, which has been listed on UNESCO's Memory of the World register. A collection of these texts eventually reached press with Specimens of Bushman Folklore. Bleek was influenced by scientific racism and this is reflected in some of his scientific practices and theories.