FASCISTS, FABRICATORS AND FANTASISTS, antisemitism in South Africa from 1948 to the present

226pp., illus., paperback, Johannesburg, 2023

The third and final volume of Milton Shain's history of antisemitism in South Africa.

“This is a very fine book. As with the earlier two volumes covering the history of antisemitism in South Africa, Milton Shain shows a mastery of the subject matter, taking the chronology from the early days of apartheid through to its dismantlement and then the early decades of the twenty-first century. There is a subtle and persuasive balance in which traditions of antisemitism that cut across racial and religious divides are meticulously documented, but also allowing for the limitations, especially in the political sphere, of how it has been articulated. Written fluently with wit and wisdom throughout, Milton Shain concludes his definitive study of the complex beast that is South African antisemitism.” Professor Tony Kushner, James Parkes, Professor of Jewish/Non-Jewish Relations, University of Southampton.

“Milton Shain gives exceptional service to South Africa by detailing the existence of the scourge of antisemitism, and even more because of his talent for transforming meticulous research and level-headed thinking into a readable text. This third volume of a historical trilogy is especially valuable because it covers both the antisemitism of the apartheid era and its carryover into the democracy of the present. Also the future: Prof. Shain warns about 'a burgeoning anti-Zionism, which for some provides a fig-leaf for simple Jew-hatred'. As he notes, the nature of antisemitism and its chief perpetrators have changed, but the evil remains a menace both to Jews and to the country's health and stability." Benjamin Progrund, author of How Can Man Die Better, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe

Milton Shain is Emeritus Professor of Historical Studies at the University of Cape Town. His previous books include The Roots of Antisemitism in South Africa; The Jews in South Africa: An illustrated history (co-authored with Richard Mendelsohn) and A Perfect Storm: Antisemitism in South Africa, 1930–1948. The Roots of Antisemitism in South Africa was awarded the 1996 University of Cape Town book prize and A Perfect Storm: Antisemitism in South Africa, 1930–1948 won Media 24’s Recht Malan Prize for Non-Fiction in 2016. In 2014 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa.