White Tribe Dreaming: Apartheid's Bitter Roots as Witnessed by Eight Generations Afrikaner Family by Marq de Villiers


White Tribe Dreaming: Apartheid's Bitter Roots as Witnessed by Eight Generations Afrikaner Family
Title : White Tribe Dreaming: Apartheid's Bitter Roots as Witnessed by Eight Generations Afrikaner Family
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 0140102701
ISBN-10 : 9780140102703
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 464
Publication : First published March 1, 1989
Awards : Alan Paton Award (1989)

This is a history of the Afrikaner as seen through the history of one family, the de Villiers, who first moved to South Africa in the 1600s. The book traces the history of the family and the Afrikaner, showing how the Afrikaner acted at the turning points in their history and revealing how that has made them what they are today. It also charts the development of the hallmarks of apartheid, including the pass system and tribe mentality. Journalist Marq de Villiers includes memorable scenes from the family's history culled from the diaries and papers.

White Tribe Dreaming: Apartheid's Bitter Roots as Witnessed by Eight Generations Afrikaner Family Reviews

  • Jeremy

    Published in 1987, when the final act in the demise of Apartheid was yet to be written, this book gives an interesting account of Afrikaner history and nationalism and helps set the scene for how Apartheid came into being. Interesting and informative

  • Daniel Polansky

    The history of the Afrikaner people as told through the writer's ancestors. Fascinating and peculiar stuff, effective both as a general overview of the subject and as a meditative and thoughtful contemplation as to the complexities of ethnic identity. Check it out if you have any interest in the subject.

  • Lynn

    Very interesting - I wish more people would read it. I would love to read the author's take on our current state of affairs, since this book was published on the brink of Change.

  • Fred Daly

    A history of South Africa that tries to explain how the Afrikaners' own sense of victimhood led to the creation of apartheid. I don't usually read history, but I liked this and learned a lot.