Thomas G. Karis

"The essays are meticulous and carefully documented accounts which maintain the standard of excellence set by the previous volumes, all of which belong in every library." —Choice "Based on extensive documentary archives collected by these researchers, and augmented by interviews with virtually all of the significant antiapartheid activists, this volume covers a formative period in the struggle against white minority rule, 1964-1979." —Africa Today " . . . a substantial achievement . . . a wonderful resource for future generations of scholars." —South African Historical Journal "Karis and Gerhart's fifth volume is an invaluable addition to their earlier documentary history of the national liberation struggle in South Africa, and includes a priceless collection of new primary historical sources. It ignites vivid flashes of memory . . . " —from the Foreword by Nelson Mandela Volume 5 of this magnificent historical record continues the indispensable study of the struggle for freedom and justice in South Africa. In addition to extensive background essays, it includes formal documents, underground and ephemeral materials, and statements written in exile or in Robben Island prison that have not previously been published.

This volume examines and documents the liberation struggle in South Africa from its nadir in 1964 to its resurgence by 1979. Four earlier volumes traced the long history of resistence against white domination and the pursuit of racial equality during the period 1882-1964.

This collection of interviews explores the role of religion in the lives of eminent South Africans who led the struggle against apartheid. Nelson Mandela, Chris Hani, Desmond Tutu, Nadine Gordimer, and seventeen other political, religious, and cultural leaders share the beliefs and values that informed the moral positions they adopted, often at great cost. From all ethnic, religious, and political backgrounds, these men and women have shaped one of the greatest political transformations of the century. What emerges from the interviews are reflections on all aspects of life in an embattled country. There are stories of the homelands and townships, and tales of imprisonment and exile. Dedicated communists relate their intense youthful devotion to Christianity; Muslim activists discuss the complexity of their relationships with their communities. As the respondents grapple with difficult questions about faith, politics, and authority, they expose a more personal picture: of their daily lives, of their pasts, and of the enormous conflicts that arise in a society that continually strains the moral fiber of its citizens. Taken together, these interviews reveal the many-faceted vision that has fueled South Africa's struggle for democracy.