Hermann Giliomee: Historian -- An Autobiography

Reconsiderations in Southern African History

by Hermann Giliomee

Hermann Giliomee weaves together the story of his own life with that of his country, a country that continues to absorb and inspire him, not least because its contested history is central to its current politics. An internationally respected historian, Giliomee has devoted a lifetime to exploring the origins and perpetuation of the deep divisions in South African society. His work, original and fearless, appeals not only to scholars but also to general readers interested in the complexities of South Africa's past and present. His outspokenness has hit nerves across the political spectrum, and he has been branded a "snake in our midst", an "oorbeligte", a "language bull" and the "boer in the woodpile". Although Giliomee grew up in the heart of the Afrikaner nationalist movement, he soon began to cut his own path in examining the rise and entrenchment of exclusive Afrikaner power. In the 1980s and 1990s, in particular, he sharply criticised the NP government's autocracy and unwillingness to negotiate. As an "outside insider", his understanding of Afrikaner power is informed and nuanced. He is the author of numerous bestsellers, including the magisterial work The Afrikaners: Biography of a People - which was selected by The Economist as one of its books of the year in 2003.

Genres: History

412 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2016

Reviews

[Waldimar Pelser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aangrypende blik op 'n beduidende lewe, 'n historikus wat nooit bang was om stroomop te wees nie, en altyd aan 'n waarheidsoeke eerder as maghebbers getrou gebly het.

[Molvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giliomee is one of the most rigorous South African historians who as he points out lived through very interesting times and met influential people. His biography highlights the fact that taking positions in the political spectrum of ones own community is not always an uncomplicated matter and has to be understood in a nuanced way to fully understand the impact of historical context and the situation of a particular community at a certain time in history. His own life account is testimony to this and he conveys the insider-outsider nature of his own being eloquently.