Geohistory, Capitalist Development, and South Africa

Thirty years after apartheid was overthrown in South Africa, the country is on the verge of becoming a “failed state” – supposedly due to its internal contradictions. Geohistory, Capitalist Development, and South Africa shows that this isn’t the full story.

South African history cannot be explained in isolation from developments in the rest of the world. Nor can it be understood in terms of change from a regime where race seemed all-determining, to one where race is supposed to be a matter of indifference. Rather, this book argues that the key to understanding South Africa lies in the logics of capitalist development. These explain why capitalist domination has taken racial forms, and why global conditions have been so important.