Gavin Evans, Birkbeck, University of London
A new book on South African liberation struggle icons Nelson and Winnie Mandela is a masterful biography of the pair. It’s a work of scholarship involving an immense body of primary and secondary research, written with flair and panache but in an easy and compelling style, making it accessible to anyone with an interest in politics, power and South Africa and looks set to become the definitive work on them.
July 25, 2023 — There have been many great male activists throughout history, such as Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and Gandhi. However, it is true that women have played a disproportionately large role in the fight for human rights.
There are a few reasons for this. First, women have traditionally been excluded from power and decision-making, so they have had to find other ways to make their voices heard. Second, women are often more directly affected by human rights abuses, such as violence against women and girls. Third, women are often more collaborative and less hierarchical than men, which can be an asset in the fight for human rights. Continue reading