The Cambridge History of South Africa: Volume 1, From Early Times to 1885


Book Description

Reflecting on South Africa's achievement of majority rule, this book takes a critical and searching look at the country's past. It presents South Africa's past in an objective, clear, and refreshing manner. With chapters contributed by ten of the best historians of the country, the book elaborately weaves together new data, interpretations, and perspectives on the South African past, from the Early Iron Age to the eve of the mineral revolution on the Rand. Its findings incorporate new sources, methods, and concepts, for example providing new data on the relations between Africans and colonial invaders and rethinking crucial issues of identity and consciousness. This book represents an important reassessment of all the major historical events, developments, and records of South Africa - written, oral, and archaeological - and will be an important new tool for students and professors of African history worldwide.




White Supremacy and Black Resistance in Pre-industrial South Africa


Book Description

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the emergence of a racially divided society in pre-industrial Southern Africa.







The Making of Modern South Africa


Book Description

The new edition of The Making of Modern South Africa provides a comprehensive, current introduction to the key themes and debates concerning the history of this controversial country. Engagingly written, the author provides a sharp, analytical overview of the new South Africa. Examines the major issues in South Africa's history, from pre-colonial to present, including colonial conquest; the establishment of racism, segregation, and apartheid; resistance movements; and the eventual founding of democracy Contains an additional final chapter that takes the story to the present and considers the challenges and compromises of the first two decades of democracy Updated with material on post-apartheid era and current issues in South Africa The only book that gives direct guidance to bibliographical material and readings on key debates Provides a sharp, analytical overview of the new South Africa Extensive references are given to the key writings on each topic and the debates between scholars




A Concise History of South Africa


Book Description

This book provides a succinct synthesis of South African history from the introduction of agriculture about 1500 years ago up to and including the government of Nelson Mandela. Stressing economic, social, cultural and environmental matters as well as political history, it shows how South Africa has become a single country. On the one hand it lays emphasis on the country's African heritage, and shows how this continues to influence social structures, ways of thought and ideas of governance. On the other, it chronicles the processes of colonial conquest and of economic development and unification stemming from the industrial revolution which began at the end of the nineteenth century. This leads on to a description and analysis of the fundamental political changes which South Africa is currently undergoing, while providing a background for the understanding of those many things which have not changed.




Becoming Worthy Ancestors


Book Description

Why does it matter that nations should care for their archives, and that they should develop a sense of shared identity? And why should these processes take place in the public domain? How can nations possibly speak about a shared sense of identity in pluralistic societies where individuals and groups have multiple identities? And how can such conversations be given relevance in public discussions of reconciliation and development in South Africa? These are the issues that the Public Conversations lecture series – an initiative of the Constitution of Public Intellectual Life Project at Wits University – proceeded from in 2006. Five years later, cross currents in contemporary South Africa have made the resumption of a public debate to clarify the meanings of identity and citizenship even more imperative, and an understanding of ‘archive’ even more urgent. The 2006 lectures were subsequently collected, resulting in this volume which takes its title from Weber’s point, elaborated on in the chapter by Benedict Anderson, that the future asks us to be worthy ancestors to the yet unborn. The book, as did the lecture series, aims to reach a broad and informed reading public because the topic is still of pressing interest in contemporary public discourse. In a changed (and, some might say, degraded) environment of public dialogue, the editor hopes to inspire a re-thinking of the very essence of what it means to be a citizen of South Africa. Becoming Worthy Ancestors aims to make accessible the theoretically informed, sometimes highly academic work of its various contributors. With chapters from high profile international and local contributors, it will be of interest to South African and international audiences. Editing for publication has further enhanced the accessibility of each speaker’s thinking without forfeiting any of its complexity, and the addition of an introductory chapter by the editor contributes to the coherence of the volume. While the target audience is the broad public, the book is based on a core of academic thinking and research.




A Concise History of South Africa


Book Description

This book provides succinct coverage of the history of South Africa from the introduction of agriculture 1500 years ago up to and including the government of Nelson Mandela.




Whose History Counts


Book Description

Originally planned as a fact-based book on the pre-colonial history of the Eastern Cape in the true tradition of history, this ground-breaking book focuses on epistemological and foundational questions about the writing of history and whose history counts. Whose History Counts challenges the very concept of "e;pre-colonial"e; and explores methodologies on researching and writing history.




The Archaeology of Southern Africa


Book Description

This revised and updated edition provides a comprehensive synthesis of Southern Africa's archaeology over more than 3 million years.




The Scientific Imagination in South Africa


Book Description

An innovative three hundred year exploration of the social and political contexts of science and the scientific imagination in South Africa.