A Commonwealth of Knowledge: Science, Sensibility, and White South Africa 1820-2000

by Saul Dubow

Overview

Examining the relationship of knowledge to national identity formation in modern South Africa, this text explores how the cultivation of knowledge served to support white political ascendancy and claims to nationhood.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199296637
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/07/2006
Pages:	308
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 5.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Saul Dubow is professor of history at the University of Sussex. Born in South Africa and educated at the Universities of Cape Town and Oxford, he has written key books on the history of racial segregation and apartheid; the history of scientific racism in South Africa, and the history of colonial science. He has edited several collections and is considered to be a leading authority on race, nationalism and identity in modern South Africa.

Table of Contents

Introduction1. Literary and Scientific Institutions in the Nineteenth-Century Cape Colony2. Of Special Colonial Interest': The Cape Monthly Magazine and the Circulation of Ideas3. Colonialism, Imperialism, Constitutionalism4. Science and South Africanism5. A Commonwealth of Knowledge6. Conclusion: The Renationalization of Knowledge? Select BibliographyIndex

Editorial Reviews

"An interesting new direction...A Commonwealth of Knowledge is impressively multi-disciplinary, and Dubow is equally comfortable discussing architecture and paleontology. This book is strongly recommended for teachers and students of the British Empire, cultural critics of South Africa, and anyone interested in what a global nineteenth century looked like from the vantage point of the Cape."—Neville Hoad, Victorian Studies

"Dubow's critical mastery of the historical literature is impressive. He fully utilizes the classics of South African historiography, as well as a wide array of monographs, journal articles, and no fewer than fourteen unpublished doctoral disertations. Anyone interested in South African intellectual history would benefit from reading this book."—Keith Snedegar, Isis

From the Publisher