Africana Library

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Author: search.filters.author.Greenstein, RanStart date: 1992

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    The study of South African society: A proposed agenda for comparative historical inquiry
    (1993-03-01) Greenstein, Ran
    The goal of this paper is to outline an agenda for comparative historical inquiry, examine the comparative literature on South Africa in light of that agenda and explore the implications such an analytical program might have for our understanding of South African history. The last part of the paper attempts to suggest new directions (stimulate new questions and point at possible new answers) in South African studies. The comparative field is of particular importance in the context of this paper since it allows us to focus more clearly on the theoretical issues involved in the study of history, and evaluate the relations between the general and the particular in concrete historical investigations. The relevance of some of the issues discussed in a comparative context may go beyond the specific field of comparative history, however.
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    Identity, race, history: South Africa and the Pan-African context
    (1996-08-12) Greenstein, Ran
    To study a society from a comparative perspective is rarely a straightforward matter. A series of strategic decisions regarding topics, time-frames, and angles of observation must be taken before any such project can begin. Since all societies are composed of multiple institutional spheres, and many potential avenues of investigation of scholarly and political interest exist, no obvious way of proceeding with any comparative endeavour is likely to present itself Appropriate angles for investigation are determined by what appear at any given point as relevant aspects of social life, suitable theoretical perspectives, and specific time and space co-ordinates for any particular project. None of these factors are static, and as a result no fixed agendas for comparative inquiry can be established. The study of South African society is no exception to this general rule, and research agendas should therefore be constantly reviewed in order to keep them attuned to shifting social and scholarly concerns.
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