A Concise History of South Africa (Cambridge Concise Histories) 2nd Edition by Ross, Robert published by Cambridge University Press

Cambridge Concise Histories

by Robert Ross

This book provides a succinct synthesis of Southern African history from the introduction of agriculture about 1500 years ago up to and including the government of Thabo Mbeki. Stressing economic, social, cultural and environmental matters as well as political history, it shows how South Africa has become a single country.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, South Africa, Africa, 20th Century

Hardcover

First published May 28, 1999

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Robert Ross is a British historian, a Professor Emeritus in African Studies at the Leiden University Institute for History.
He earned his Ph.D. from Cambridge in 1974 on the history of the Griquas in central South Africa. His special interest is South-African history.

Reviews

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 2 out of 5]

Considering that this is a history of South Africa, site of some of the douchiest expressions of human nature in the last few centuries, this effort is wildly heartless and dull. It is a plodding sort of history, bereft of any real humanity and soul, that deals with issues like apartheid, racism, and the perennial internal social dynamics of the subcontinent with a cold indifference that causes the reader to suffer. This lack of tone or acuity in discussing apartheid (Afrikaans for "let's be assholes!") is especially stark. Individuals flow together, clear distinctions between groups aren't made, and the colorless prose is confusing. Little is made of Mandela or De Klerk or even Shaka Zulu. Crucial events are reduced to single-page mentions, and way too much energy is expended on issues of economics and the like (the author's focus, perhaps?)
South Africa has rich, engaging history that could've been presented much more clearer, and with a lot more sympathy.

[Bruce Harpham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this short book prior to my first trip to South Africa. While dense, the author covers a lot of ground. The book heavily emphasizes the last one hundred years, which takes up about half of the book. The author is at his best in covering traditional political history - the creation of laws, state actions, elections, etc. There was some coverage of economic history (e.g. land/agricultural matters, the impact of mining etc) and a touch of cultural history. The further reading section at the end of the book is quite extensive with a strong focus on non-fiction.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I recognize compacting a country's entire history in something concise is beyond a Herculean task, I feel like Ross gets caught up on names and terms more than themes and effect.

Some segments felt unnecessarily wordy and fanciful. I like straight and to the point writing, which can be a rarity in the historical texts my profesor tends to choose.

[Aaron Schuschu · Rating 3 out of 5]

More balance than apartheid deserved, but hey, it was written in the 90’s.

[Saramichelet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides exactly what it promises, a concise history - which is worth reading (as a start) to prepare for a trip to SA to make an effort in learning more of its complicated history.

[Roman]

I don't feel comfortable rating this book because it's a fairly technical work on a subject I'm not familiar with.

Anyways, the book seems fairly balanced, factual, and wasn't boring. There was a good bit of name, place and event overload, so it's probably a better second book on the topic after reading the wikipedia article and looking at a nice map. The book gives good coverage up to the beginning of the Mandela administration, without much information about the post-apartheid period.

The book is definitely not a history of the blacks of southern Africa - the neighbouring states, the bantustans and the indigenous societies are only covered as they relate to the issues of South Africa proper. It is in some sense a history of the South African nationalist project, which may lend itself to bias in structure, emphasis and focus if not in facts.

I thought it was useful, recommendable but I have no basis for comparison if you're shopping histories of South Africa.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's impressive to put the history of a country as complicated South Africa into a concise 200 pages. This was a great starting place for learning SA's history up to 1999. (I believe there is a newer printing out now.) I was hoping for a less academic approach. Although 200 pages, the book is dense and takes time. FYI: the spelling is not American English (e.g., organise). I have heard of another book The History of South Africa by Leonard Thompson that has received praise and think I will read that in the future.

[Sreerupa Sanyal Mazumdar · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as concise histories go, this one is fabulous. I really liked it because it gives a very clear and impartial view of the history of South Africa and the processes that molded the nation. Very informative and the best part concise. A must read for anyone interested in South African history and polity.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, strongly judgmental at times as general histories are concerned. Admittedly, South African history begs judgment, but would have enjoyed more if the author had narrated regarding decisions in their time and place. Overall, I liked it, and wanted to further explore Afrikaners, the great Treks, unification and apartheid history, it was a good early read.

[Jeff Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was adequate for the purpose I sought, which was an overview of South African history. The prose was not always easy to parse; it's possible that Ross is used to writing more technical works for a specialist audience (though the author or editor were successful in making this work accessible). Nevertheless, it maintained my interest throughout, and even sparked new interests.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Dylan Groves · Rating 4 out of 5]

perfect length and depth for a country overview