Nelson Mandela: A Very Short IntroductionNelson Mandela--is it possible to say who or what he is? Yes, he was one of the world's longest-detained political prisoners. He is a universal symbol of social justice certainly; an exemplary figure connoting non-racialism and democracy; a moral giant. For years a man cut off from the world, Mandela became after his 1990 release an internationally recognizable icon. But why should his story be important to us in the world at large today? What do his achievements signify not only nationally in South Africa but also internationally? This book is about the different, interconnected stories, histories, values and symbols that Nelson Mandela embodies. Across his life Mandela has filled a rich range of roles: handsome city-slicker, dashing guerrilla, the millennial saviour figure. By examining these different roles as well as the principles which lie behind and motivate them, this Very Short Introduction presents an analytical portrait of a shape-shifting life. Set within a biographical frame, the book offers a more deeply personal analysis of Mandela than biographies centred on the towering public figure have been able provide. About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam. |
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achievement activist activity African nationalist Afrikaner ANC leader ANC’s ANCYL anti-colonial apartheid armed struggle autobiography banning became biographies black South African Botha Cape career cell Chapter colonial Communist Congress context country’s cultural Defiance Campaign democracy democratic despite Drum early ethical expressed Fanon Figure force Frantz Fanon Gandhi Gandhist garden Helen Joseph human icon important incarceration Indian inmates involved Johannesburg Jongintaba’s justice Klerk later leadership liberation lived Madiba masculine Mayibuye Mbeki militant modern moral movement negotiation Nehru Nelson Mandela non-violence Oliver Tambo organization P. W. Botha Party passive resistance people’s political prisoners Pollsmoor postcolonial President protest racial represented Rivonia Rivonia Trial Robben Island role SACP Sisulu social Sophiatown South Africa Soweto speech state’s story style symbolic Thembu traditional Transkei Treason Trial urban violence Walk to Freedom Walter Sisulu warders Winnie Mandela women Xhosa