Author Description

Review "William Beinart's meticulous, lively introduction to the story of South African people through the twentieth century is an excellent place to start. The book is at once immensely readable, informative and timely, coinciding in South Africa with one of those rare, fleeting moments when there is ashared feeling of human liberation."--New Internationalist"[This book] admirably combine[s] impressive summaries of the leading research with historiographical debate and an emphasis on history as an interpretive discipline."--Southern African Review of Books"One of the revelations of this very readable book is how Beinart skillfully weaves the black experience into the picture."--Good Book Guide"This book effectively connects the political narrative to broad social changes and movements. It also points to scholarly interpretations and debates. A very effective text and introduction to South African politics."--Gregory S. Crider, Wingate University Product Description This accessible and concise introduction to South Africa's turbulent history this century is the first to emphasize the social and economic history underlying the political upheavals and the establishment and fitful dismantling of apartheid. Beinart, a leading South Africa historian, beginswith the final colonial conquests of the late 19th century and ends with a prognosis for democracy and redistribution of resources in the 1990s. Along the way he considers how popular culture and politics help to explain the rise of Afrikaner and African nationalism, and looks at such key topics aspatterns of violence, the significance of ethnicity, and the variety of radical politics and religious expression. Written for the student and general reader, this book will serve as a useful guide to this vital period in twentieth-century history. About the Author William Beinart is a Reader in the Department of Historical Studies, University of Bristol.