The Foundations of Anti-Apartheid: Liberal Humanitarians and Transnational Activists in Britain and the United States, c.1919–64

270 Pages·2010·1.106 MB·English

by  Rob Skinner (auth.)

The Foundations of Anti-Apartheid
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The Foundations of
Anti-Apartheid
Liberal Humanitarians and Transnational
Activists in Britain and the United States,
c.1919–64
Rob Skinner
Teaching Fellow, Department of Historical Studies, University of Bristol, UK
© Rob Skinner 2010
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2010 978-0-230-20366-2
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First published 2010 by
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ISBN 978-1-349-30148-5 ISBN 978-0-230-30908-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230309081
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Skinner, Rob, 1966–
The foundations of anti-apartheid : liberal humanitarians and
transnational activists in Britain and the United States, c.1919–64
/ Rob Skinner.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Apartheid—South Africa. 2. Anti-apartheid movements—Great Britain—
History. 3. Anti-apartheid movements—United States—History. 4. Political
activists—Great Britain—History—20th century. 5. Political activists—
United States—History—20th century. 6. Humanitarianism—Political aspects—
Great Britain—History—20th century. 7. Humanitarianism—Political aspects—
United States—History—20th century. 8. Great Britain—Relations—
South Africa. 9. South Africa—Relations—Great Britain. 10. United States—
Relations—South Africa. 11. South Africa—Relations—United States. I. Title.
DT1757.S59 2011
320.800968'09041—dc22 2010034460
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10
For Jake, Jessica and Sam
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Contents
Acknowledgements viii
List of Abbreviations x
1 Introduction 1
2 Humanitarian Networks and Segregation 12
3 South African Liberalism and ‘Friends of Africa’ 31
4 Human Rights and Anti-Colonialism 59
5 The Nationalist Challenge 81
6 Sites of Struggle – the Emerging Anti-Apartheid Network 118
7 Sharpeville, Sanctions and the Making of a Transnational
Movement 156
8 Epilogue and Conclusion 196
Notes 203
Bibliography 238
Index 253
vii
Acknowledgements
This book is the product of a long process of research, writing and
revision. It has taken me on a journey from the innocence of doctoral
research to the more constrained, but equally fulfilling, responsibilities
of a teacher in Higher Education. Over the past few years, the enthu-
siasm and intellectual stimulus from students, particularly those at
the University of Bristol, has sustained my own enthusiasm for this
project.
On a practical level, the research for this book would have been
impossible without the support of a three-year Studentship, and a
postgraduate Fellowship provided by the Economic and Social Research
Council; more recently, the research has been supported by the British
Academy, whose award of a Small Research Grant allowed me to extend
the scope of the book to American activists. My aim in this book is to
provide a sketch of the ways in which anti-apartheid was from the out-
set a transnational phenomenon, and the material support provided by
these grants have allowed me to access a wide range of source material
across three continents.
There is, of course, further research to be undertaken on the ‘pre-his-
tory’ of the anti-apartheid movement, and I do not claim that this is an
exhaustive account of that history. I can say, however, that I am grateful
for the support and advice given by a number of individuals connected
with anti-apartheid – most prominently Christabel Gurney, whose own
work on the history of the movement reflects both years of dedication
to the cause as well as continued efforts to preserve its history through
the work of the AAM archives committee.
I would like to thank all those individuals who have helped and sup-
ported my work at archives in the UK, South Africa and the US. Lucy
McCann at the Bodleian Library of Commonwealth and African Studies
at Rhodes House, Oxford deserves particular thanks, but I would also like
to thank those who offered generous support during archival research
in South Africa and the US, notably Michele Pickover, Carol Archibald
and Kate Abbot at the Department of Historical Papers, William Cullen
Library, University of the Witwatersrand and Chris Harter at the
Amistad Research Center, Tulane University. I am also indebted to the
help provided by the staff at the Manuscripts and Archives Department
at the University of Cape Town, the Andersen Library at the University
viii
Acknowledgements ix
of Minnesota, and the Alan Paton Centre, University of KwaZulu-Natal,
Pietermaritzburg. I must also thank the staff at the Arts and Social
Sciences Library at the University of Bristol, the University of Sussex
Library and the Lambeth Palace Library.
I would like to acknowledge the time, hospitality and encouragement
that has been forthcoming from friends and colleagues. I am deeply
indebted to Saul Dubow for his support and incisive commentary on
my work, and also to Alan Lester, Robert Bickers, Kirsty Reid and Derek
Catsam for scholarly advice and friendship.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge the support of my family. It is
to them I offer my deepest and most affectionate thanks: to my par-
ents, for their unending support and to Kristin Doern, who has shared
the process in its entirety, for her encouragement, thoughtful insight,
patience and generosity.