The Ambiguities of Dependence in South Africa: Class, Nationalism, and the State in 20th Century Natal

ISBN: 9780869752821

Ravan Press (Pty) Ltd, 1 July 1986

Paperback, 171 pages

Three historical figures (the Zulu king Solomon ka Dinuzulu, early nationalist leader John Dube and the ICU trade unionist George Champion) and one intriguing contemporary leader (KwaZulu's Gatsha Buthelezi) come under scrutiny in this elegant and subtle study if 'the politics of the tightrope'. presenting the mask of the leader of resistance at one moment in history, only to disclose that of the compromised puppet in the next, each inhabits the ambiguous and largely uncharted zone of dependence. 

Displaying a full command of such diverse historical topics as black social history, the evolution of state 'native policy', and the structure of regional interest in Natal, Shula Marks illuminates key episodes in each life in a way that will fascinate the general reader and open a path to further exploration by other scholars.