Between two fires

John Kane-Berman

ISBN 10: 1868427692 / ISBN 13: 9781868427697

Published by Jonathan Ball Publishers SA, ZA, 2017

John Kane-Berman is uniquely qualified to look back over the enormous political and social changes that have taken place in his lifetime in this fractious country. In his career as student leader, Rhodes Scholar, newspaperman, independent columnist, speech maker, commentator, and Chief Executive, for thirty years, of the South African Institute of Race Relations, Kane-Berman has been at the coal face of political change in South Africa. The breadth and depth of ideas and events covered here are striking: the disintegration of apartheid, the chaos of the peoples war and its contribution to the broader societal breakdown we see today, the liberal slide-away, the authoritarian ANC with its racial ideology and revolutionary goals, to mention only a few. Kane-Bermans willingness to confront received wisdom is thoroughly refreshing, and he is forthright about the threats to freedom, democracy, and growth in contemporary South Africa, many of which he identified even before the ANC came to power. Writing, debate, and reasoned argument have been Kane-Bermans stock in trade and his clarity of vision and personal insight have created a memoir of rare candour and absorbing interest. Seller Inventory # LU-9781868427697

Synopsis:

John Kane-Berman is uniquely qualified to look back over the enormous political and social changes that have taken place in his lifetime in this fractious country. In his career as student leader, Rhodes Scholar, newspaperman, independent columnist, speech maker, commentator, and Chief Executive, for thirty years, of the South African Institute of Race Relations, Kane-Berman has been at the coal face of political change in South Africa. The breadth and depth of ideas and events covered here are striking: the disintegration of apartheid, the chaos of the people s war and its contribution to the broader societal breakdown we see today, the liberal slide-away, the authoritarian ANC with its racial ideology and revolutionary goals, to mention only a few. Kane-Berman s willingness to confront received wisdom is thoroughly refreshing, and he is forthright about the threats to freedom, democracy, and growth in contemporary South Africa, many of which he identified even before the ANC came to power. Writing, debate, and reasoned argument have been Kane-Berman s stock in trade and his clarity of vision and personal insight have created a memoir of rare candour and absorbing interest.

About the Author: John Kane-Berman was educated at St Johns College in Johannesburg and the University of the Witwatersrand. He went to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar, where he read philosophy, politics, and economics. After practising as a journalist on the Financial Mail, he joined the South African Institute of Race Relations and was Chief Executive of the Institute for 31 years. Kane-Berman has written four books on South Africa and continues to contribute articles on South Africa to books, journals, and newspapers. During his long career he has delivered 680 lectures about South African affairs, also both here and abroad. He continues as a policy fellow at the South African Institute of Race Relations.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Between two fires
Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers SA, ZA
Publication Date: 2017
Binding: Mixed Media Product
Condition: New