South African Life Histories

Catalog description

South Africa presented the world with one of the great moral challenges of the 20th century. We will explore its history through the lens of biography and autobiography. The country underwent major transformations -- rapid industrialization, segregation, the rise and fall of apartheid, and the emergence of democracy. How did individuals experience these social changes? In what ways do individual lives illuminate these larger social processes? Protagonists include a prophetess, political artists and writers, exiles, and celebrated figures. Topics cover how segregation and apartheid affected people's daily lives, opposition to white supremacy, and the personal impact of the AIDS's epidemic.