The New Radicals: A Generational Memoir of the 1970s

This seminar will invite discussion on a chapter from the book The New Radicals: A Generational Memoir of the 1970s, newly released by Jacana. By the end of the 1960s, opposition to apartheid was in disarray. Yet in the space of a few short years, major and radical challenges developed that would set the country on a new path. This lively and original book tells the story of a generation of activists who embraced new forms of opposition politics that would have profound consequences. In the process it rescues the early 1970s from previous neglect and shows just how crucial these years were in the struggle to transform society. It explores the influence of Black Consciousness, the new trade unionism, radicalisation of students on both black and white campuses, the Durban strikes, and Soweto 1976, and concludes that these developments were largely the result of home-grown initiatives, with little influence exercised by the banned and exiled movements for national liberation.