Найти книгу: "Hermann Giliomee: Historian"

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.

In 1988, the renowned sociologist Pierre Bourdieu and the leading historian Roger Chartier met for a series of lively discussions that were broadcast on French public radio. Published here for the first time, these conversations are an accessible and engaging introduction to the work of these two great thinkers, who discuss their work and explore the similarities and differences between their disciplines with the clarity and frankness of the spoken word. Bourdieu and Chartier discuss some of the core themes of Bourdieu’s work, such as his theory of fields, his notions of habitus and symbolic power and his account of the relation between structures and individuals, and they examine the relevance of these ideas to the study of historical events and processes. They also discuss at length Bourdieu’s work on culture and aesthetics, including his work on Flaubert and Manet and his analyses of the formation of the literary and artistic fields. Reflecting on the differences between sociology and history, Bourdieu and Chartier observe that while history deals with the past, sociology is dealing with living subjects who are often confronted with discourses that speak about them, and therefore it disrupts, disconcerts and encounters resistance in ways that few other disciplines do. This unique dialogue between two great figures is a testimony to the richness of Bourdieu’s thought and its enduring relevance for the humanities and social sciences today.