THE EMERGENCE OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN METROPOLIS, cities and identities in the twentieth century

319pp., illus., maps, paperback, Cambridge, 2016

Vivienne Bickford-Smith explores South African urban history from the late nineteenth century onwards, focusing on Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. He examines the metropolitan perceptions and experiences of both black and white South Africans, as well as those of visitors, drawing on city histories, travel writing, novels, films, newspapers, radio and television programmes and oral histories.

"'The Emergence of the South African Metropolis' breaks new ground in writing the cultural history of South Africa's major conurbations. It is especially innovative in discussion of the diverse Anglophone communities that dominated the cities in their early years and Bickford-Smith is equally interesting on African urban culture." William Beinart, African Studies Centre, University of Oxford

"In this elegant study of how South African cities have been imagined, Bickford-Smith reveals a cacophonous urban landscape of conflict, hope, and possibility not yet overwhelmed by racial ordering." James Brennan, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Vivienne Bickford-Smth is Extraordinary Professor at Stellenbosch University, Emeritus Professor at the University of Cape Town and Visiting Fellow in the Institute of Historical Research at the University of London.