Seeking Mandela

Heribert Adam and Kogila Moodley

The ongoing violence, despair and paralysis among Israelis and Palestinians resemble the gloomy period in South Africa during the late 1980s. Heribert Adam and Kogila Moodley show that these analogies with South Africa can be applied to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for two purposes: to showcase South Africa as an inspiring model for a negotiated settlement and to label Israel a "colonial settler state" that should be confronted with strategies (sanctions, boycotts) similar to those applied against the apartheid regime. Because of the different historical and socio-political contexts, both assumptions are problematic. Whereas peacemaking resulted in an inclusive democracy in South Africa, the favored solution for Israel and the West Bank is territorial separation into two states. Adam and Moodley speculate on what would have happened in the Middle East had there been what they call "a Palestinian Mandela" providing unifying moral and strategic leadership in the ethnic conflict. A timely, relevant look at the issues of a polarized struggle, Seeking Mandela is an original comparison of South Africa and Israel, as well as an important critique on the nature of comparative politics. In the series of Politics, History and Social Change, edited by John C. Torpey

Reviews

"An enduring feature of the Israeli-Palestinian impasse has been the pygmy moral stature of the leadership on both sides. Stepping firmly into a notorious minefield of ethnic/religious passions, Adam and Moodley argue convincingly that hoping for some savior figure to bring the warring parties together is futile. For the uncompromising quality of their political analysis, and for the tough realism of the advice they offer, they are to be applauded." —J.M. Coetzee

"A sweeping, authoritative and balanced analysis of a highly sensitive issue, bound to raise a heated debate." —Dr. Meron Benvenisti, Historian and former deputy mayor of Jerusalem

"Those interested in what kinds of world pressures cause or impede change will find a great deal of food for thought. Meticulously constructed, Seeking Mandela is well-worth a lay person read." —Island Tides

“Two leading specialists on South Africa, who, for some forty years, have closely studied the evolution of racial conflicts and their resolution in that country, now turn to the question of how much of the South African experience is applicable to the perennial Israel – Palestine conflict. They criticize any facile analogy between South Africa and Israel as ‘fascist,’ ‘racist,’ or ‘apartheid’ societies, and give us a nuanced analysis of similarities and differences between them, with emphasis on the latter.” —Nations and Nationalism

About the Author(s)

Heribert Adam was born in Germany and educated at the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory. Professor Adam has been teaching political sociology at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver since 1968. He has published extensively on ethnic conflicts and nationalism, particularly socio-political developments in South Africa. He was awarded the 1998 Konrad Adenauer Prize of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Kogila Moodley is Professor of Sociology in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia and was the first holder of the David Lam Chair. Raised in the Indian community of apartheid South Africa, she moved to Canada in 1968, with her research focused on critical multiculturalism, anti-racism education, comparative ethnic relations, and citizenship. She has served as President of the International Sociological Association's Research Committee on Ethnic, Minority and Race Relations (1998-2002).

Kogila Moodley is a Professor in the Education Faculty at the University of British Columbia and was the first holder of the David Lam Chair. She serves on the boards of several related professional organizations as well as on the editorial committee of the London-based journal Ethnic and Racial Studies.

Kogila Moodley is a sociologist at the University of British Columbia and was the first holder of the David Lam Chair. Raised in the Indian community of apartheid South Africa, her research is focused on critical multiculturalism, anti-racism education and citizenship. She has served as President of the International Sociological Association's Research Committee on Ethnic, Minority and Race Relations (1998-2002). Adam and Moodley live in Vancouver and Cape Town.

Heribert Adam is a political sociologist at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and also teaches at the University of Cape Town. He has published extensively on comparative ethnic conflicts and peacemaking, particularly socio-political developments in South Africa. He was awarded the 1998 Konrad Adenauer Prize of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

In the Series

Politics, History, and Social Change

This series, edited by John C. Torpey, will disseminate serious works that analyze the social changes that have transformed our world during the twentieth century and beyond. The main topics to be addressed include international migration; human rights; the political uses of history; the past and future of the nation-state; decolonization and the legacy of imperialism; and global inequality. The series will also translate into English outstanding works by scholars writing in other languages.

Seeking Mandela

Reviews

About the Author(s)

In the Series

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