A Lion Amongst the Cattle: Reconstruction and Resistance in the Northern Transvaal (Social History of Africa Series)

Cloth Edition. Peter Delius presents a carefully crafted and powerfully argued study of politics in rural South Africa from the 1930s to the 1980s. Peter Delius Presents A Carefully Crafted And Powerfully Argued Study Of Politics In Rural South Africa From The 1930s To The 1980s. Although Focusing On The Former Pedi Kingdom, He Addresses A Broader Set Of Issues About The Lived Experiences Of African Societies Forced Onto The Reserves. Delius Carefully Documents How These Communities Bore The Burden Of Nurturing New Generations Of Migrant Workers, Sustaining Their Families During Their Long Absence From Home, And Caring For Those Discarded By The Mines And Factories Of South Africa - The Old, The Dying, The Disabled. He Also Demonstrates The Enormous Ecological Toll Of Rural Apartheid In Terms Of Soil Erosion, Land Degradation, And Environmental Mismanagement. But A Lion Amongst The Cattle Is More Than Just A Story Of Social, Economic, And Ecological Disaster. In Delius's Creative Hands We See How Rural Peasants And Migrant Workers Creatively Cope With And At Times Struggle Against The Brutal Impact Of Apartheid In The Countryside. At The Heart Of The Book Lies A Comparison Of Two Dramatic Revolts. In 1958 Migrant Workers And Villagers Took Up Arms To Defend The Few Freedoms That Remained To Them. In 1986 Youthful Comrades Set Out To Purge Their Communities Of Oppression And Misfortune; In The Process They Turned To Killing Witches. The Book Not Only Explores Anti-apartheid Struggles In The Countryside, But Also The Conflicts Within Pedi Society Over The Legitimacy Of Chieftaincy, The Viability Of A Market Economy, And The Very Meaning Of Democracy.--book Jacket. Peter Delius. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 242-250) And Index. Frontmatter List of illustrations (page vii) Preface (page ix) Glossary of key words (page xiii) Genealogy of Pedi Royals (page xiv) Introduction (page 1) Chapter 1 Sekhukhuneland in the 1930s (page 9) Chapter 2 'The Trust': Rehabilitation and Resistance in the Northern Transvaal, 1936-48 (page 51) Chapter 3 Self-Rule and Sebatakgomo: The ANC, the Communist Party, Migrant Workers and the Reserves, 1939-55 (page 76) Chapter 4 The Tortoise and the Spear: The Sekhukhuneland Revolt of 1958 (page 108) Chapter 5 'The Cattle are Gone': Transformations, 1960-85 (page 139) Chapter 6 Cadres, Comrades and Witches: The Sekhukhuneland Revolt of 1986 (page 172) Conclusion (page 216) Appendix 1. Research Revisited; List of Interviews (page 229) Appendix 2. Population Figures (page 241) Selected Written Sources (page 242) Index (page 251) The author of this work draws on interviews to tell the story of the bitter and protracted struggles sparked off in the formidable Pedi Kingdom by the shifting policies and practices of conservation, segregation and apartheid. Paper Edition. Peter Delius presents a carefully crafted and powerfully argued study of politics in rural South Africa from the 1930s to the 1980s.