RACE, CLASS AND POWER, Harold Wolpe and the radical critique of apartheid

368pp., paperback, Pietermaritzburg, 2015

An intellectual biography of Harold Wolpe and of South Africa's left in the 1970s. It also assesses the ongoing impact of Wolpe's ideas in the post-apartheid present.

"This book is a significant and provocative intervention in three discussions, namely the evolution of the analysis of South African society and its history; the role of intellectuals and social theory in the liberation struggle, and the place and content of social analysis in developing political strategy, and particularly in elaborating alternatives to the sterile policies of the ANC government. I strongly and forcefully recommend this book." Dan O'Meara, Département de science politique, Université du Québec à Montréal

"Friedman not only shows why Harold Wolpe's writings had such an impact in the 1970s and 1980s; he also argues convincingly that Wolpe's later writings - their call for 'continuous critique' and awareness of a compromised 'transformation' - pose important questions for today's South Africa." Colin Bundy, Honorary Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford

Steven Friedman directs the Centre for the Study of Democracy at Rhodes University and the University of Johannesburg.