Albie Sachs And Transformation In South Africa: From Revolutionary Activist To Constitutional Court Judge (birkbeck Law Press)

Many critical theorists talk and write about the day after the revolution, but few have actually participated in the constitution of a revolutionary government. Emeritus Justice Albie Sachs was a freedom fighter for most of his life. He then played a major role in the negotiating committee for the new constitution of South Africa, and was subsequently appointed to the new Constitutional Court of South Africa. Therefore, the question of what it means to make the transition from a freedom fighter to a participant in a revolutionary government is not abstract, in Hegel's sense of the word, it is an actual journey that Albie Sachs undertook. The essays in this book raise the complex question of what it actually means to make this transition without selling out to the demands of realism. In addition, the preface written by Emeritus Justice Albie Sachs and his interview with Drucilla Cornell and Karin van Marle, further address key questions about revolution in the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries: from armed struggle to the organization of a nation state committed to ethical transformation in the name of justice. Albie Sachs and transformation in South Africa: from revolutionary activist to constitutional court judge illuminates the theoretical and practical experiences of revolution and its political aftermath. With first-hand accounts alongside academic interrogation, this unique book will intrigue anyone interested in the intersection of Law and Politics. Many critical theorists talk and write about the day after the revolution, but few have actually participated in the constitution of a revolutionary government. Emeritus Justice Albie Sachs was a freedom fighter for most of his life. He then played a major role in the negotiating committee for the new constitution of South Africa, and was subsequently appointed to the new Constitutional Court of South Africa. Therefore, the question of what it, means to make the transition from a freedom fighter to a participant in a revolutionary government is not abstract, in Hegel's sense of the word: it is an actual journey undertaken by Albie Sachs. The essays in this book raise the complex question of what it actually means to make this transition without selling out to the demands of realism, in addition, the preface written by Emeritus Justice Albie Sachs, and his interview with Drucilla Cornell and Karin van Marie, further address key questions about revolution in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries: from armed struggle to the organization of a nation state committed to ethical transformation in the name of justice. Albie Sachs and Transformation in South Africa: From Revolutionary Activist to Constitutional Court Judge illuminates the theoretical and practical experiences of revolution and its political aftermath. With first-hand accounts alongside academic interrogation, this unique book will intrigue anyone interested in the intersection of law and politics. Book jacket Many critical theorists talk and write about the day after the revolution, but few have actually participated in the constitution of a revolutionary government. Emeritus Justice Albie Sachs was a freedom fighter for most of his life. He then played a major role in the negotiating committee for the new constitution of South Africa, and was subsequently appointed to the new Constitutional Court of South Africa. Therefore, the question of what it means to make the transition from a freedom fighter to a participant in a revolutionary government is not abstract, in Hegel's sense of the word, it is an actual journey that Albie Sachs undertook.The essays in this book raise the complex question of what it actually means to make this transition without selling out to the demands of realism. In addition, the preface written by Emeritus Justice Albie Sachs and his interview with Drucilla Cornell and Karin van Marle, further address key questions about revolution in the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries: from armed struggle to the organization of a nation state committed to ethical transformation in the name of justice.__Albie Sachs and transformation in South Africa: from revolutionary activist to constitutional court judge__ Machine Generated Contents Note: 1. Comrade Judge: Can A Revolutionary Be A Judge? / Drucilla Cornell -- 2. Abandoning Certitudes, Becoming Human -- For A Jurisprudence Of Generosity: An Essay In Tribute To The Work Of Albie Sachs / Karin Van Marle -- 3. Interview With Emeritus Justice Albie Sachs / Karin Van Marle. Drucilla Cornell And Karin Van Marle With Albie Sachs. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 Dedication 7 Acknowledgements 8 Preface 10 Introduction 16 1 Comrade judge: can a revolutionary be a judge? 24 2 Abandoning certitudes, becoming human — for a jurisprudence of generosity: an essay in tribute to the work of Albie Sachs 64 3 Interview with Emeritus Justice Albie Sachs 90 Notes 130 Index 140