Through four decades John Saul has studied, written about, and supported southern African liberation struggles. This collection of essays draws together his long-range perspectives on regional change, and illuminates the developments that culminated in the independence of Zimbabwe and Namibia and the overthrow of apartheid.

Saul provides a pragmatic assessment of what has, and hasn’t, been achieved in the region. Part One sets out broad themes. Part Two presents case studies of Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania. Part Three part focuses on South Africa, on transitions, and on socio-economic outcomes (largely neo-liberal and inegalitarian). Ultimately he identifies forces for change, and suggests imperatives and implications for Africa’s next liberation struggle.

• Paperback / softback, 366 pages
• ISBN 9781897071007
• Published September 2005

Reviews

Saul has written prolifically, but he has also committed himself to Africa morally and politically. His writings are all about instilling hope and learning from failure. He’s in an underground, alternate Canadian tradition to the internationalism of Lester Pearson, a tradition that includes Dr Norman Bethune.

– Rick Salutin, The Globe and Mail

Saul’s book is as much the fruit of many decades of struggle and commitment to the cause of the working class in Africa as it is of careful scholarly research. Both as a scholar and an activist, he has taught and inspired many revolutionaries, myself included, and has been part of bold practical efforts to go beyond capitalism.

– Trevor Ngwane, organizer, Anti-Privatization Forum, South Africa

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction	Liberation, and After
Part I	Continental Considerations
Introduction	Capitalism, Socialism, Democracy
Chapter 1	Sub-Saharan Africa in Global Capitalism with Colin Leys
Chapter 2	"What is to be Learned?" The Failure of African Socialisms and Their Future
Chapter 3	Liberal Democracy vs. Popular Democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa
Part II	Southern Africa: A Range of Variation
Introduction	Peace, Reconciliation, Authoritarianism, and "African Socialism"
Chapter 4	On War and Peace in Africa: The Mozambican Case
Chapter 5	Lubango and Afrter: "Forgotten History" as Politics in Contemporary Namibia with Colin Leys
Chapter 6	Mugabe, Gramsci, and Zimbabwe at Twenty-Five with Richard Saunders
Chapter 7	Julius Nyerere's Socialism: Learning from Tanzania
Part III	South Africa: Debating Transition
Introduction	South Africa in Transition
Chapter 8	The Transition
Chapter 9	The Post-Apartheid Denouncement
Chapter 10	Starting from Scratch? A Debate
Chapter 11	The Hares, the Hounds, and the ANC: On Joining the Third World in Post-Apartheid South Africa
Part IV	Conclusion
Chapter 12	Africa: The Next Liberation Struggle
Appendix	Class Act: Canada's Anti-Apartheid Record
Notes
Index