Overview
The ongoing violence, despair and apparent paralysis in Israel/Palestine resemble a similar gloomy mood in South Africa during the late 1980s. Analogies with the South African case are increasingly applied to Israel/Palestine for two different purposes: to showcase South Africa as a model for a negotiated settlement and to label Israel a 'colonial settler state' that should be confronted with similar strategies (sanctions, boycott) as applied against the apartheid regime. Heribert Adam and Kogila Moodley show that both assumptions are problematic, because of the different historical and socio-political contexts. Peace-making resulted in an inclusive democracy in South Africa, while territorial separation in two states is widely hailed as the solution in Israel/Palestine. 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. Unresolved issues in comparative politics and practical questions for conflict resolution can be clarified from the real-life laboratories of Israel and South Africa. 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 of contemporary peace-making strategies.
Full Product Details
Author: Heribert Adam ,
Kogila Moodley
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint: Routledge Cavendish
Weight: 0.453kg
ISBN: 9781844721306
ISBN 10: 1844721302
Pages: 246
Publication Date: 31 August 2005
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
A sweeping, authoritative and balanced analysis of a highly sensitive issue, bound to raise a heated debate. aEURO 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. aEURO Island Tides
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.
Author Information
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. 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).
