Showing posts with label Southern Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Southern Africa. Show all posts

Friday, 30 September 2011

New journal issue of Journal of Southern African Studies with focus on Histories and Legacies of Punishment in Southern Africa

Newly available (in both print and electronic access) and with a special focus on the history and legacies of punishment is the following journal issue:

Journal of Southern African Studies, Vol. 37, No. 3, 01 Sep 2011
This new issue contains the following articles:

"Introduction: Histories and Legacies of Punishment in Southern Africa", Jocelyn Alexander & Gary Kynoch

"Defining Crime through Punishment: Sexual Assault in the Eastern Cape, c.1835–1900", Elizabeth Thornberry

"Law, Violence and Penal Reform: State Responses to Crime and Disorder in Colonial Malawi, c.1900–1959", Stacey Hynd

"Repression and Migration: Forced Labour Exile of Mozambicans to São Tomé, 1948–1955", Zachary Kagan-Guthrie

"Of Compounds and Cellblocks: The Foundations of Violence in Johannesburg, 1890s–1950s",
Gary Kynoch

"Punishment, Race and ‘The Raw Native’: Settler Society and Kenya's Flogging Scandals, 1895–1930",
David M. Anderson

"Containing the ‘Wandering Native’: Racial Jurisdiction and the Liberal Politics of Prison Reform in 1940s South Africa", Kelly Gillespie

"The Limits of Penal Reform: Punishing Children and Young Offenders in South Africa and Nigeria (1930s to 1960)", Laurent Fourchard

"In the Shadow of Mau Mau: Detainees and Detention Camps during Nyasaland's State of Emergency", John McCracken

"Nationalism and Self-government in Rhodesian Detention: Gonakudzingwa, 1964–1974", Jocelyn Alexander

"Discipline and Punishment in ZANLA: 1964–1979", Gerald Chikozho Mazarire

"State Discourse on Internal Security and the Politics of Punishment in Post-Independence Mozambique (1975–1983)", Benedito Luís Machava

"‘Entering the Red Sands’: The Corporality of Punishment and Imprisonment in Chimoio, Mozambique", Bjørn Enge Bertelsen

"Deviance, Punishment and Logics of Subjectification during Apartheid: Insane, Political and Common-law Prisoners in a South African Gaol", Natacha Filippi

Tuesday, 3 August 2010

New Books - not so new

New additions to our catalogue and collections, but all published some years ago, the following books were all acquired by donation, and fill gaps in our collection:

J. Howard Wallace, Manual of New Zealand History, Wellington: J.H. Wallace, 1886
Written and published by J. Howard Wallace "one of the pioneer settlers of the colony... author of "The Early History of New Zealand"" this book presents a precis of the history fo New Zealand,  intended as a syllabus for students. The book includes a chronological history of New Zealand"from its discovery until the present date" (discovery refering to European discovery not the earlier Maori discovery and settlement), details of government, "spiritual conquest", governors, etc

Ceylon, Report of the Special Committee on Broadcasting in Ceylon, June, 1941, Colombo, Sri Lanka : Ceylon Govt. Press, 1941.
Report of a secial committee established in 1940 to consider broadcasting in Ceylon in all its aspects. The report includes a historical survey of radio broadcasting in Ceylon and compares development with that of India. The report makes recommendations relating to transmitting equipment to extend the coverage of broadcasts, improvements to existing studios, rural broadcasting, programme content, and the organisation of the broadcasting service.

Kenneth Bradley, The Colonial Service as a Career, London : H.M.S.O., 1950.
Aimed at young people thinking of making their careers in the Colonial Service, describing the service, the qualities required, life and work in the service, empire building and working towards the Commonwealth. Includes illustrations and photographs.

Kenneth Bradley, A Career in the Oversea Civil Service, London : H.M.S.O., 1955.
Aimed at young people thinking of making their careers in the Overseas Civil Service, with similar content as above, but "nation building" now replacing the 1950's "Empire building" chapter.

Republic of Ghana, Report of the Commission : appointed under the Commissions of Enquiry Act, 1964 (Act 250) to Enquire into the Kwame Nkrumah Properties, [Accra-Tema : Published by the Ministry of Information on Belhalf of the National Liberation Council, 1967]
A report commissioned after the coup in 1966 which overthrew the Nkrumah government. The report in scathingly critical of Nkrumah and suggests that various propoerties were acquired dishonestly and recommends that these be recovered by the government of Ghana. Also known as the Apaloo Commission.

Republic of Ghana, Summary of the report of the Commission of Enquiry into Irregularities and Malpractices in the Grant of Import Licences, Accra-Tema : Ministry of Information, 1967.
Another post-coup report, in this case looking into the granting of export licenses by Mr A.Y.K. Djin, Mr Kwesi Amoako Atta, Mr Ayeh Kumi, Mr Halm and Kweis Armah. The report claims irregularities, confused administration, preferential treatment, fraud and malpractice. The report includes details of specific allegations.

Don Barnett, With the Guerrillas in Angola, Liberation Support Movement, 1970
In this 34 page pamphlet, author Don Barnett outlines a visit to Angola and MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola) camps. Barnett describes the situation and routines of the camps, and local villages, as well as noting Portuguese actions and the impact on victims of these actions. The pamphlet includes photographs of guerillas, villagers and some individuals.

Marga Holness, Apartheid's War Against Angola. An account of South African aggression against the People's Republic of Angola, New York, NY : Centre Against Apartheid, United Nations ; Oslo, Norway : World Campaign Against Military and Nuclear Collaboration with South Africa, 1983.
Describes South African actions against Angola, including historic co-operation with the colonial Portuguese government, the "1975-76 invasion", bombing raids, border provocations, infantry attacks and artillery shelling, and continuing acts of agression from 1979 to 1981. Describes the context of South African aggression against the "frontline states", and co-operation between frontline states and national liberation movements, as well as United Nations Security Council condemnations of South African actions.

J.H. Proctor (ed) The Cell System of the Tanganyika African National Union, Dar es Salaam : Tanzania Pub. House, 1971.
A collection of reports, originally written by third year students in the Department of Political Science at the University College, Dar es Salaam, on the ten-house cell structure of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU). Chapters include: Building party cells in Tanzania; TANU cells: organs of one-party democratic socialism; Cells at work in Iramba; Cells in Dar es Salaam and Bukoba; Cell leaders in Mbulumbulu and the problems of effectiveness; and the operation of TANU cells in Iringa.

Un an après la libération : 5 juin 1977-5 juin 1978 = One year after liberation : 5 June 1977-5 June 1978, [Victoria : Dept. of Administration and Information, Office of the President, Govt. of Seychelles, 1978?]
In English and French, this publication celebrates a year of independence in the Seychelles, and includes: Address by President Rene on Liberation Day 1978; To the heroes... and to the future (speech by President Rene); The aim is food self-sufficiency (speech by Minister of Agriculture and Land Use, Dr Maxime Ferrari); Seychelles development strategy; and photographs of the Liberation Day Parade.
Whose Rubicon? : report of a visit to South Africa by representatives of the British Churches, London : British Council of Churches in association with the Catholic Institute for International Relations, 1986.
Reports on a visit to South Africa in 1985, with chapters on the perception of Urban Blacks; Black views of white attitudes; Political considerations; and Economic factors; as well as reporting on the churches in South Africa, and suggesting tasks for the British Churches in support of the "oppressed black majority". Includes discussion of disinvestment.

Frank Chicane, The Church's Prophetic Witness against the Apartheid System in South Africa (25th February-8th April 1988), Johannesburg : South African Council of Churches, [1988?]
Describes actions by the South African church , after the banning of a number of non-violent and peaceful organisations, severe restictions on the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the Banning of 18 respected leaders of the Black community in the 24th of February 1988. Church leaders took part in a series of actions including statements, a march to parliament, meetings and letters, which are described in this book as well as South African government reaction. Appendices include copies of the Statement, Call to Action and letters to and from the government.

Tuesday, 30 March 2010

Jack Halpern Papers - Catalogue available

The Jack Halpern Papers were donated to the Institute of Commonwealth Studies by Jack Halpern’s widow. We're pleased to announce that a PDF version of the list for this collection has been added to the collection level description on the ULRLS Archives database: PDF list

Jack Halpern worked primarily as a journalist, writer and editor and this collection largely consists of Halpern’s writing on Southern African affairs and race relations in the period between 1958 and 1970, as well as personal correspondence for this period.

Jack Halpern was born in 1927 in Berlin. Because of the Nazi persecution of the Jews, his parents emigrated to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he was educated. His interest in the problems of developing countries was stimulated by two and a half years spent in Israel. Returning to South Africa he became a journalist and married. After editing technical and industrial journals he became Editor and Publications Officer of the South African Institute of Race Relations. In 1960 he was appointed editor of the 'Central African Examiner' in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia, and became the Central African correspondent of the 'Observer', the 'New Statesman', 'Dagens Nyheter', and 'Politiken'. In September 1963 with the Rhodesia Front in power, he and his wife were arbitrarily expelled from the disintegrating Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland by the Prime Minister, Sir Roy Welensky. After arriving in Britain, Halpern served as Secretary-General of Amnesty International, 1964-1965, and, writing under his nom-de-plume of James Fairbairn, as Africa Correspondent of the 'New Statesman'. He died on 11 May 1973.

The collection includes correspondence and papers on South African politics, the High Commission Territories (Basutoland, Bechuanaland and Swaziland), Lesotho, Botswana, the Central African Federation, Malawi, Zambia, Rhodesia; material on the Pearce Commission, 1971-1972; statements, correspondence and cuttings on Halpern’s expulsion from Rhodesia; and correspondence and papers relating to his work in exile in the United Kingdom ,for Amnesty International and other organisations, as well as drafts and notes for Halpern's book South Africa's Hostages. Material in the collection includes drafts of articles by Halpern and press cuttings; notes; correspondence; political party material; photographs; and family and personal correspondence.

The papers include correspondence with Baruch Hirson, Commonwealth Press Union, Colin Legum, Ruth First, Julius Lewin, all of whom also have collections deposited in the Institute of Commonwealth Studies Archive.

Friday, 4 December 2009

International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa Press Cuttings Archives

Today we want to focus on an important collection held on microfiche – the International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa Press Cuttings Archives.


The International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa (IDAF) was an anti-apartheid organization that smuggled £100 million into South Africa for the defence of thousands of political activists, and to provide aid for their families while they were in prison. It paid lawyers to defend political detainees and provided financial support families of political prisoners. It published numerous books and films on repression in South Africa. IDAF, was the brain-child of John Collins, a canon of St Paul's Cathedral. The organisation resulted from Canon Collins's guaranteeing the legal costs and support for the 156 accused under the 1956 Treason Trials, and their families. The organisation continued to support anti-apartheid activists through the Rivonia Trial and numerous other political trials (most of which were not high profile). Defence and Aid became an international organisation in 1965, with branches in Britain, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Holland and India.

On 18 March 1966, the South African Defence and Aid Committee was banned as an 'unlawful organisation' under the Suppression of Communism Act. Lengthy prison sentences were promised for those who handled money on behalf of IDAF and the Terrorism Act made it a capital offence to attempt to bring about social change with the help of a foreign government or institution, even when no violence was involved.

IDAF reacted by creating a system where a network of respectable individual donors funded defences, who in turn received funds from IDAF, and with the assistance of a network of friendly solicitors who corresponded with the South African trial lawyers and transmitted funds to them. IDAF’s welfare programme, aimed at alleviating the hardship of both political prisoners and their dependents, also relied on circumventing a direct connection with IDAF, with the use of hundreds of letter writers sending money directly to recipients through the post.

As well as raising and transmitting funds, IDAF continuing public activities, with research and publicity sections. The work of these sections included monitoring the press, and IDAF built up a large press-cuttings archive. This was microfilmed in 1991 before IDAF transferred its activities to South Africa, and copies lodged in countries affected by apartheid, as well as research libraries in Europe and North America

The Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library was fortunate to be selected by IDAF as the UK depository for microfiche copies of the South Africa and Namibia press cuttings archives. These include some 500,000 press cuttings from the South African, Namibian and British press from 1975 to 1990 and documenting all aspects of apartheid in South Africa, especially resistance and repression. The Namibian materials cover the South African occupation and the apartheid system subsequently imposed on the people of that country. Both archives include materials on cultural, social and economic issues and international relations. The Library holds an index to these, and in addition many of IDAF publications, including its journal Focus.

Thursday, 15 January 2009

Archive Cataloguing project: Catholic Institute for International Relations

The ULRLS commences an exciting new archives cataloguing project this week, which will provide improved access to the papers of the Catholic Institute for International Relations. These papers relate to Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, and Latin America, and were recently deposited with the libraries of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies and the Institute for the Study of the Americas. A one-day conference is planned as part of this project, looking at the role of NGOs in development and resources for the study of such NGOs. The ULRLS is grateful to the Vice Chancellor's Development Fund, which has funded this project.

We are therefore delighted to welcome Jane Kirby who has taken up the archives cataloguing post for this project. Jane joins us having just completed a project at the Wellcome Library.