Mandela

Xolela Mangcu is Professor of Sociology and History at The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., and Visiting Scholar at the Oxford Center for Life Writing, Wolfson College, University of Oxford, UK. He is author of Biko: A Life (I.B. Tauris, 2013).

Xolela Mangcu has given us the first biography of Nelson Mandela written by an African, and its contents justify the wait. Mangcu challenges the prevailing paradigm of the shaping of Mandela’s character primarily as a product of tribal tradition. Relying on previously unused archival sources, impressive scholarship, and personal accounts, Mangcu argues that the roots of Mandela’s philosophy of pragmatic politics trace back to his Thembu royal family’s strategic alliances with colonialists against the Xhosa-led resistance in the 19th century. Mangcu deconstructs prevailing depictions of Mandela by interpreting him through the lens of the classic “tragic heroes” of Greek tragedy. This riveting book is a major contribution to our understandings of one of the pivotal figures in the history of contemporary Africa, and it is a game changer.

• Part I: Mandela’s Colonial Victorian Heritage1. Introduction2. Of Imperial Monarchs3. Men of the Bhunga – A Parliamentary Heritage4. Black Victorian 5. In Jabavu’s Mode: The University Years A Baptism of Racism6. Vanity and Virtue in the Heart of a Prince7. Baptismal of Racism8. The Struggle Needs Many Tactics9. Communist or Pragmatist?10. Mandela and the Cold WarInterludePart II: Mandela’s Tragic Pragmatism/Pragmatic Cooperation With the Enemy11. Into the Lion’s Den12. Infidelities and Infelicities 13. The Somana Affair 14. Tragic Hero on Trial15. In the Belly of the Beast: The Robben Island Years16. Time Out of Joint17. Victory in Defeat 18. On the Wheel of History