Post Views:
1
B O O K R E V I E W S 36 around authors such as J.M. Coetzee and Mandla Langa, Devenney seeks to move beyond the boundaries created through the national struggle into the expansive realm that exists beyond politics. In the concluding chapter, David Howarth asks whether postmodern writings on South Africa’s transition have contributed to a new and useful theoretical paradigm. Howarth compares and contrasts the strengths and weaknesses of this new paradigm with Marxist approaches, institutional rational choice accounts, and constitutionalism. He concludes that past approaches fail to resolve the structure/agency dichotomy and that the postmodern approach is more capable of dealing with it. Although I am not personally impressed with the postmodern project because of its lack of substantive representation of the inherent material forces that reproduce social life, I found that this volume provides fresh perspectives on the dynamics of South Africa’s democratic transition. The contributors present insightful commentary on many important dimensions of South Africa’s transition from apartheid. However, the range of issues tackled in this volume is perhaps a weakness of the collection. The wide range of topics leaves the underlying postmodern theoretical context as the only real connection throughout the volume. In all, I believe this volume contributes to a useful alternative way of conceptualizing South Africa’s transition to democracy. Furthermore, I think it is an essential read for those interested in postmodern perspectives of South Africa’s recent history. Nikolas C. Heynen Indiana University
Related
Previous articleA country nourished on self-doubt : documents in Canadian history, 1867-1980
INSTRUCTIONS AFTER PAYMENT
- 1.Your Full name
- 2. Your Active Email Address
- 3. Your Phone Number
- 4. Amount Paid
- 5. Project Topic
- 6. Location you made payment from