DOC Nathan Bedford Forrest and the Ku Klux Klan: Yankee Myth; Confederate Fact by Lochlainn Seabrook in History

Description

This book offers a reconceptualisation of indigenous people and their political involvement. It demonstrates the deep intertwining of constructions of indigenousness and identity with national; social and political histories and argues that differences and fractures within the indigenous movement – between leaders; spokespeople and ordinary men and women – shape the nature of indigenous politics both nationally and internationally. South Africa’s resident population of Griqua provide the context for this exploration of indigenous mobilisation; politics and ethnic identity. The Griqua people have long sought; and only recently acquired; official recognition within their country of birth. Using qualitative research methodologies and an anthropological approach; this book documents negotiation between Griqua leaders; organisers and government officials and; in so doing; details a complex process of mediation and interaction generally overlooked in the discourse of indigenous identity. This exploration of identity is essential to understanding post-apartheid South African history; politics and society. In addressing the marginalisation of Griqua followers and examining the meaning of being Griqua for those ‘quieter’; poorer people who live in the small town of Griquatown; and who are relatively isolated from the Indigenous People’s Forum and the United Nations; the book also examines the ‘hidden’ dimensions of political and indigenous mobilisation.