Understanding contemporary political and processes are impossible without learning their historical background; that is why sociology, history, and political sciences are considered strongly connected. Numerous researchers are carried out on the border of these disciplines. African-American study is one of the examples that illustrate this statement: this field of study requires one have a significant background in the history of Africa and the USA to understand contemporary processes that take place in the African-American community and the World.
In this sense, the book by Naomi Chazan et al (1999) is a treasure for a student eager to succeed in getting familiarized with the issues of African-American studies, as well as for any other reader interested in this field. Chazan et al demonstrate an effective approach to delivering knowledge in African-American studies: the book offers a historical observation of political and social processes in Africa from the moment of the first movement of white settlements to the modern time. The authors make the effort to analyze and compare thus demonstrating common tendencies that took place throughout the continent. Particular attention is paid to the new era, the era of independence: the authors state that the contemporary political process in Africa is saturated and interesting; the problems of African countries are diverse but at the same time similar (3).
The history of South Africa is a set of struggles and conflicts which have left their imprint on today’s independent state. Chapter 13 titled The Possibilities and Limits of Transforming State and Society helps a reader to understand the mentioned “possibilities” and “limits” from a historical perspective. The chapter aims to study the causes, the course, and consequences of struggles that took place in South Africa during the 18th-20th century.
The focus of the chapter is a political history of South Africa from the moment of coming of the first white settlers to the political processes that took place during the period of independence. However, political issues are not discussed in the isolation from those social: the authors allude to the social processes that accompanied the actions of dominating powers. This approach is very effective, as the connection between these two fields in the real life is unquestionable.
The book addresses a broader range of issues than “what happened when”: the authors offer their answer on “why it happened”. This helps a student understand that every historical event has its underlying reason based on people’s interests and intents. Particularly, Chazan et al provide the observation of forces that tore South Africa apart for centuries; material and labor resources became the core of the struggle. We may see that whatever “newcomers” we talk about, each of the groups had its interests that did not coincide with those of the native population and South Africa’s ecology. The contradiction of interests was the main ground for conflicts that, in turn, brought new suffering to the land. The authors emphasize that whatever sides took part in the defense of their interests – British versus Boer, the NP versus ANC – this perpetual struggle was saturated with the issues of racial superiority and inferiority.
The material of the chapter includes the emergence of the Boer community, the coming of English-speaking whites, and the struggle between these two communities. The struggle for resources is inseparable from the power struggle. The book tells about the National Party’s aims and actions and describes the political competition between the British and the Afrikaners. Simultaneously, we observe the struggle of the black citizens for their equality and rights: this struggle becomes especially intense in the 1970s. Then, we see how by the changes on the international scene the situation within South Africa also changes and observe the country’s first steps in its independent way.
The authors’ style of narration is close to that of a history textbook: Chazan et al do not focus on their evaluation and commentary on the history of South Africa; their perception of the material is rather expressed in the way the information is organized and delivered. Providing a retrospective glance at the events in South Africa, Chazan et al illustrate their statements with statistics and authentic quotations that support them. The style is quite concise, and little attention is paid to the role of personality in history; a reader studying South Africa may continue research familiarizing with books that provide a more personified version of the country’s history, such as, for example, Tom Lodge’s (2003) where Nelson Mandella is called “political saint in a new democracy” (1).
For a reader who is interested to advance his/her knowledge of the history of South Africa, the study can be expanded by including cultural perspective into the focus. Politics, society, and culture are connected and influence each other, and each stage of the country’s history marked by significant changes also brought significant changes to the cultural life of the community. Particularly, it is possible to recommend the book by Ala A. Abdi (2002) that offers us a historical view on culture in South Africa. For example, it would be rather interesting to combine the material on Afrikaners’ nationalism offered by Chazan et al with Abdi’s view on how it influenced culture and education in South Africa; both books also touch upon the contemporary multicultural society that exists and develops in South Africa.
Works Cited
Abdi, Ali A. Culture, Education, and Development in South Africa: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey, 2002. Print.
Chazan, Naomi, et al. Politics and Society in Contemporary Africa. 3rd ed. USA: Lynne Rienner Publishers.
Lodge, Tom. Politics in South Africa: From Mandela to Mbeki. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2003. Print.