Bloomsbury Modern South Africa in World History: Beyond Imperialism

About the Author Rob Skinner is Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Bristol, UK, and has written widely on the history of the anti-apartheid and international solidarity movement. He is the author of The Foundations of Anti-Apartheid (2010). Product Description This book assesses South African history within imperial and global networks of power, trade and communication. South African modernity is understood in terms of the interplay between internal and external forces. Key historical themes, including the emergence of an industrialised economy, the development of systematic racial discrimination and popular resistance against racial power, and the influence of national and ethnic identities on political and social organisation, are set out in relation to imperial and global influences. Accompanied by additional online material, this book is central to our understanding of South Africa in the context of world history. Review A new overview of modern South African history, departing from ideas of isolation and exceptionalism and acknowledging the country's configuration within colonial, imperial, regional and global dynamics, is long overdue. All the more impressive is that Rob Skinner has managed to produce one which also teases out the ways in which its peoples have shaped a unique national society.Alan Lester, Professor of Historical Geography, University of Sussex, UKRob Skinner gives us a valuable short account of South Africa's development, from its colonial beginnings to Jacob Zuma. The transnational lens he uses throws new light on South Africa's history in a global context.Chris Saunders, Emeritus Professor in Historical Studies, University of Cape Town, South AfricaRob Skinner's astute reading of two centuries of South African history rightly places the country in a much broader global context. His thoughtful and reliable guide draws on the latest historical scholarship and fully deserves the attention of students and specialists alike.Saul Dubow, Smuts Professor of Commonwealth History, University of Cambridge, UK