CONTEMPORARY SOUTH AFRICA by BUTLER, Anthony - 2009

244 pp. incl index. xiii pp intro. 2 b+w maps, graphs and tables, no illustrations.

"South Africa has undergone tumultuous social and political change since putting the oppression and racial segregation of apartheid behind it. The twenty-first century, however, presents fresh challenges: the economy is vulnerable to a harsher international climate; unemployment, crime and violence and HIV/AIDS threaten to undermine social cohesion, and a still dominant ANC remains ambibalent about the merits of political pluralism and an open society. This accessible, lively and readable book looks behind the headlines to provide a broad ranging and thought provoking introduction to South Africa in the twenty first century. Set in the context of South Africa's history and character as a 'rainbow nation', it illuminates the country's social, political, cultural and economic life and its changing role in the world."
Anthony Butler is Professor of Political Studies, University of the Witwatersrand.