POLITICS, HISTORY, CULTURAL STUDIES, AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Print ISBN
978-1-86814-919-3
PDF ISBN
978-1-86814-978-0

Students Must Rise

Youth Struggle in South Africa Before and
Beyond Soweto 76
Edited by by Anne Heffernan and Noor Nieftagodien

June 2016
200 x 170 mm
224 pp
Soft cover with flaps
Black & white
illustrations
Rights: World
R280.00

Related title:
The Colour of
our future

The Soweto Student Uprising of 1976 was a decisive moment in

the struggle against apartheid. It marked the expansion of political
activism to a new generation of young activists, but beyond that it
inscribed the role that young people of subsequent generations could
play in their countrys future. Since that momentous time students
have held a special place in the collective imaginary of South African
history.
Drawing on research and writing by leading scholars and
prominent activists, Students Must Rise takes Soweto 76 as its pivot
point, but looks at student and youth activism in South Africa more
broadly by considering what happened before and beyond the Soweto
moment. Early chapters assess the impact of the anti-pass campaigns
of the 1950s, of political ideologies like Black Consciousness as well
as of religion and culture in fostering political consciousness and
organisation among youth and students in townships and rural areas.
Later chapters explore the wide-reaching impact of June 16th itself for
student organisation over the next two decades across the country.
Two final chapters consider contemporary student-based political
movements, including #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall, and
historically root these in the long and rich tradition of student activism
in South Africa.
2016 marks the 40th anniversary of the 1976 June 16th uprisings.
This book rethinks the conventional narrative of youth and student
activism in South Africa by placing that most famous of moments
the 1976 students uprising in Soweto in a deeper historical and
geographic context.

Anne Heffernan is a post-doctoral

researcher in the History Workshop
at Wits and has a particular interest
in the history of political activism
among students in South Africa.
Noor Nieftagodien is the South
African Research Chair in Local
Histories, Present Realities, and is the
Head of the History Workshop at Wits.
He has published widely on popular
insurgent struggles, public history,
and youth politics. With Philip Bonner
he has published books on the history
of Alexandra (Wits press: 2008) and
Kathorus, and with Sally Gaule he
published a history of Orlando West
(Wits Press: 2012)

CONTENTS
Introduction by Anne Heffernan and Noor Nieftagodien
Chapter 1: A brief history of the African Student Association by Sifiso Mxolisi Ndlovu
Chapter 2: Youth and student culture: Riding resistance and Imagining the future by Bhekizizwe Peterson
Chapter 3: The role of religion and theology in the organisation of student activists by Ian Macqueen
Chapter 4: Student organisation in Lehurutshe and the impact of Ongkopotse Tiro by Arianna Lissoni
Chapter 5: The University of the North, a regional and national centre of activism by Anne Heffernan
Chapter 6: Action and fire in Soweto, June 1976 by Sibongile Mkhabela
Chapter 7: What they shot in Alex by Steve Kwena Mokwena
Chapter 8: SASO and Black Consciousness, and the shift to Congress politics by Saleem Badat
Chapter 9: Youth politics and rural rebellion in Zebediela and other parts of the homeland of Lebowa, 19761977
by Sekibakiba Lekgoathi
Chapter 10: My journey, our journey: Activism at Ongoye University by Makhosazana Xaba
Chapter 11: Lets begin to participate fully in politics: Student politics in Mhluzi Township, Mpumalanga by Tshepo Moloi
Chapter 12: They would remind you of 1960: The emergence of radical student politics in the Vaal triangle 19721985
by Franziska Rueedi
Chapter 13: The ends of boycott by Premesh Lalu
Chapter 14: Fighting for our little freedoms: The evolution of student and youth politics in Phomolong Township, Free State
by Phindile Kunene
Chapter 15: Every generation has its struggle: A brief history of Equal Education (200815) by Brad Brockman
Chapter 16: The rise of the black-led student movements of #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall in 2015 by Leigh-Ann Naidoo
Selected Bibliography

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