These small people (Shuters history reference library) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 086985738X ISBN 13: 9780869857380

Synopsis

Few people in southern Africa can have been more misunderstood than the so-called Bushmen, or San as we prefer to call them in this book. In the past they were regarded as barely human and were often treated as such. Confusion still exists about their way of life and their relationship with other people in southern Africa, and recent popular books for adults and children alike do little to improve the situation. Even the best of them ‘freeze’ the San in time and give no indication of the place of hunter-gatherers in human history, nor how their way of life has changed.

This book aims to use the most recent information to correct some of these misunderstandings. We try to show the importance of hunter-gatherers in human history, and how the San, the hunter-gatherers of southern Africa, lived and worked and their relationships with other peoples. We also look at their present situation and the difficulties facing them, and raise questions about their future.

This book originated in the concern by some members of the Centre for African Studies at the University of Cape Town that many text and reference books for school-children contain outdated, and sometimes inaccurate, information. This is the first book in what we hope will be a series in which we raise questions and present up-to-date information about our country, its history and its people.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
The book was written largely by Ms Candy Malherbe. She is a teacher and historian who lives in Cape Town. She was assisted by a small editorial group from the University of Cape Town: Dr John Parkington, Associate Professor of Archaeology; Dr Andrew Smith, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology; and Dr Martin West, Professor of Social Anthropology.

Edition details

• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 086985738X
• ISBN 13: 9780869857380
• Binding: Paperback