One Hundred Years of the ANC - Debating liberation histories today (OUT OF PRINT NEW)

One HundredYears of the ANC - Debating liberation histories today (A Lissoni, J Soske, N Erlank, NNieftagodien, OBadsa (OUT OFPRINT NEW)

On 8 January 2012 the African National Congress (ANC) ofSouth Africa, the oldest African nationalist organisation on the continent,celebrated its one hundredth anniversary. This historic event has generatedsignificant public debate within both the ANC and South African society atlarge. There is no better time to critically reflect on the ANC's historicaltrajectory and struggle against colonialism and apartheid than in itscentennial year. One Hundred Years of the ANC is a collection of new work byrenowned South African and international scholars. Covering a broadchronological and geographical spectrum and using a diverse range of sources,the contributors build upon but also extend the historiography of the ANC bytapping into marginal spaces in ANC history. By moving away from thecelebratory mode that has characterised much of the contemporary discussions onthe centenary, the contributors suggest that the relationship between thehistories of earlier struggles and the present needs to be rethought in morecomplex terms. Collectively, the book chapters challenge hegemonic narrativesthat have become an established part of South Africa's national discourse since1994. By opening up debate around controversial or obscured aspects of theANC's century-long history, One hundred years of the ANC sets out an agenda forfuture research. The book is directed at a wide readership with an interest inunderstanding the historical roots of South Africa's current politics will findthis volume informative. This book is based on a selection of papers presentedat the One Hundred Years of the ANC: Debating Liberation Histories andDemocracy Today Conference held at the University of Witwatersrand,Johannesburg from 20-23 September 2011.