South Africa's Struggle to Remember

Contested Memories of Squatter Resistance in the Western Cape

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Reference, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Social Science
Cover of the book South Africa's Struggle to Remember by Kim Wale, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Kim Wale ISBN: 9781317439868
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: April 14, 2016
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Kim Wale
ISBN: 9781317439868
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: April 14, 2016
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Transitional justice studies typically focuses on how nations remember, face and deal with histories of past violence. This book, however, shifts the frame from national discourses of transitional justice onto local memory actors who attempt to engage with these broader systems of meaning from below. The case study is based on the memory struggles of individuals and groups who are attempting to gain access to the discourses and benefits associated with dominant memory identities of ‘victim’ and ‘veteran’ in the context of post-transition South Africa. They share a common history of squatter resistance in the Western Cape in the 1980s and a common struggle for inclusion in dominant memory frameworks.

The main theme of this book is the politics of memory, as it relates to the conversation between national and local memory. Integrated within this theme is the further theme of alternative histories and counter-memories of struggle from below. In focusing on counter memories of violence and transition this book aims to tell a different version of South African liberation history in relation to the dominant narrative. It analyses local memory actors' attempts to bring their lived histories into conversation with national discourses of reconciliation and the national liberation struggle. In doing so it unpacks a memory paradox occurring within these narratives, which highlights the politics of inclusion and exclusion within the frames of transitional justice knowledge. On the one hand this alternate story exposes the paradox between local and national memory while on the other hand it brings into focus the local experience of the intersection between international transitional justice discourses and national transition politics.

This book will be of local and international interest to scholars and students in the field of transitional justice, memory politics, national liberation struggle and South African historiography. It will also be of interest to a broader South Africa public, as it offers a deeper understanding of South Africa’s history, which challenges taken for granted transitional justice frames of knowledge.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Transitional justice studies typically focuses on how nations remember, face and deal with histories of past violence. This book, however, shifts the frame from national discourses of transitional justice onto local memory actors who attempt to engage with these broader systems of meaning from below. The case study is based on the memory struggles of individuals and groups who are attempting to gain access to the discourses and benefits associated with dominant memory identities of ‘victim’ and ‘veteran’ in the context of post-transition South Africa. They share a common history of squatter resistance in the Western Cape in the 1980s and a common struggle for inclusion in dominant memory frameworks.

The main theme of this book is the politics of memory, as it relates to the conversation between national and local memory. Integrated within this theme is the further theme of alternative histories and counter-memories of struggle from below. In focusing on counter memories of violence and transition this book aims to tell a different version of South African liberation history in relation to the dominant narrative. It analyses local memory actors' attempts to bring their lived histories into conversation with national discourses of reconciliation and the national liberation struggle. In doing so it unpacks a memory paradox occurring within these narratives, which highlights the politics of inclusion and exclusion within the frames of transitional justice knowledge. On the one hand this alternate story exposes the paradox between local and national memory while on the other hand it brings into focus the local experience of the intersection between international transitional justice discourses and national transition politics.

This book will be of local and international interest to scholars and students in the field of transitional justice, memory politics, national liberation struggle and South African historiography. It will also be of interest to a broader South Africa public, as it offers a deeper understanding of South Africa’s history, which challenges taken for granted transitional justice frames of knowledge.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Encyclopedia of Human Rights Issues Since 1945 by Kim Wale
Cover of the book The Peace Process between Turkey and the Kurds by Kim Wale
Cover of the book Professional Development in Higher Education by Kim Wale
Cover of the book The Management of Human Resources in the Asia Pacific Region by Kim Wale
Cover of the book Remembering the Cultural Geographies of a Childhood Home by Kim Wale
Cover of the book Historical Linguistics by Kim Wale
Cover of the book Postwar History Education in Japan and the Germanys by Kim Wale
Cover of the book Logistics of Warfare in the Age of the Crusades by Kim Wale
Cover of the book Rituparno Ghosh by Kim Wale
Cover of the book Biotechnology, Education and Life Politics by Kim Wale
Cover of the book Responsible Management Education and the Challenge of Poverty by Kim Wale
Cover of the book The Gondi by Kim Wale
Cover of the book Fixing Families by Kim Wale
Cover of the book Transmedia Work by Kim Wale
Cover of the book Confronting Biopiracy by Kim Wale
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy