Intellectual Traditions in South Africa Ideas, Individuals and Institutions

by Vale, Peter; Hamilton, Lawrence; Prinsloo, Estelle H.

• ISBN13: 9781869142582
• ISBN10: 1869142586
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2014-06-10
• Publisher: University Of KwaZulu-Natal Press

Summary

Intellectual Traditions in South Africa not only deals with political traditions, but gives attention to religious and communal intellectual practices. The book's scope covers interpretations of traditions, such as African nationalism, Afrikaner thought, Black Consciousness, Christianity, feminism, Gandhian ways, Hinduism, Jewish responses, liberalism, Marxism, Muslim voices, Pan Africanism, and positivism. The real value comes from the fact that it takes a great leap to rectify large gaps in South Africa's historiography. According to editor Peter Vale, "Only by rethinking the ideas that made us can we re-imagine the world." Powerful ideas, institutions, and individuals have been central to various colonizing and apartheid projects to directly control and subordinate much of the population. This form of extreme social engineering often fails, and has generated unintended and unforeseen spaces for individual agency and competing ideas. The result has been that even completely totalitarian systems of rule cannot completely stamp out individual human ingenuity and imagination. *** "... these admirable, well-written chapters distill the main trends of important traditions, including feminism, liberalism, Marxism, and positivism. Highly recommended." -- Choice, Vol. 52, No. 6, February 2015 [Subject: African Studies, Apartheid Studies, Sociology, History, Politics, Philosophy, Religious Studies]Ã?Â?Ã?Â?