Hans Erik Stolten

What has history to do with expectations for the future? Quite a lot actually. Historical research gives current events and situations perspective. History writing is an important part of a nation-state’s collective memory and the nature of historiography is essentially selective and ideological. History is not necessarily a product of the past, but often a product of the needs or requests of the present. The modern nation-state, nationalism and the discipline of history have had an intense, complex relationship. In the case of the rehabilitated South African state, discursive projects in nation building since 1994 have also been exercises in explaining different combinations of national history, class and race. Revealing the theories and interpretations of earlier periods not only gives insight into the society of that time. During segregation and apartheid, and also to some degree under the ongoing transformation process, historical research has been used extensively to seek solutions on problems of current prominence. Most of the great debates on South African history have had hidden agendas mirroring ardent problems of a later day than the ones historically described.

Den sydafrikanske demokratiseringsproces er blevet anfaegtet af den seneste tids magtkampe indenfor ANC om, hvorvidt fremtidens politiske linje skal efterstraebe en tilbagevenden til tidligere tiders idealer. Det kalder på en analyse af kraefterne bag den sydafrikanske revolution og af dennes historiske baggrund. I tiåret fra 1984 til 1994 var Sydafrikas byer praeget af militante massemobiliseringer af strejkende arbejdere og protesterende townshipbeboere, ofte samlet under revolutionaere, socialistiske paroler. Oplevelsen af ind-flydelse og gradvise fremskridt havde aldrig vaeret en del af de sorte arbejderes livserfaringer. Der var derfor kun udviklet svage reformistiske traditioner, og en artikuleret socialdemokratisme eksisterede stort set ikke. Samtidig var kommunistpartiets (CPSA/SACP), strategier blevet rodfaestet i African National Congress (ANC) gennem eksilbevaegelsens og den vaebnede kamps faellesskaber. Oprøret blev fremhjulpet af infiltration og sabotageaktioner, logistisk støtte fra socialistiske lande, afkoloniserede frontlinjestaters revolutionære ledere, antiapartheidbevaegelsens solidaritet og internationale sanktioner. Det lignede naermest en revolution. Denne artikel beskaeftiger sig med holdninger på Sydafrikas venstrefløj og med dennes betydning for transformationen fra apartheid til demokrati.

The notion that the support extended to the anti-apartheid struggle by the Nordic countries was especially protracted and determined has been nourished over the years, partly owing to state-sponsored history writing. However, despite the fact that Sweden, Norway and Denmark can all cite areas where they pioneered anti-apartheid initiatives, it was only after prolonged, political pressure from domestic solidarity movements that the Scandinavian countries, in the last years before 1990, became champions regarding sanctions policies. Drawing on fresh research, NGO archives and the author's personal experiences, the article critically considers Danish support and the depiction of it. The coverage of Swedish solidarity is considered to a lesser extent, while the other Nordic countries are dealt with only in passing. While much of the previous literature has focused on positive Nordic government initiatives, this article takes a closer look at the Landskomiteen Sydafrika-Aktion (LSA), one of the most important of the Danish NGOs. There were differences between the Nordic countries in the way history was used. The article cites some of the differences between Denmark and Sweden that have extended into the postapartheid situation. In parallel, it contains some historiographical deliberations over the existing literature.

Post Doc Project Synopsis.
The broader objective of this research is to produce new knowledge of the importance of history for politics and ideology through a rethinking of the classical conflict between the liberal and radical schools of thought inside South African historiography.1 This is mainly done by examining a wide range of the most important analyses made on relations between race, class and identity in South African history.

The matter of a fruitful union of scholarly work and political engagement are central to South African historiography. The problem is important, because sanctioned relationships between research and political priorities, defined in the current transitional period will influence both the educational system and other parts of society for a long time to come.
President Mbeki in 1998 emphasised the importance of historical understanding for breaking the shackles of enslavement through the recovery of cultures, languages and histories.
Many expected that with the transfer of power to a majority government in 1994, a new nationalist history writing would emerge, as had happened in other parts of Africa with the decolonisation. One predicted new direction was a black African nationalist one that would stress the African contribution to the exclusion of others. However, the transfer of power has not yet been matched by any significant new historiographical development.
The absence of a completely new historiographical approach, however, does not mean that there has been stagnation in the practical use of history. The great expectations for the role of history in nation building and identity creation also involved basic education. Many historians have been unhappy with the way the new curriculum proposals affected the teaching of history. Also regarding history in schools, the question remains: While historians have a duty to expose the distortions of the past, do they also have a role in creating a new, “useful” history for a new democratic South African nation?

Draft proposal for a review article. Presented at NEWSA workshop. In its present form, it criticises certain Swedish writings and situates them in the broader research debate on Southern Africa’s recent history. Through this analysis, I hope to contribute to a more nuanced view of the Scandinavian anti-apartheid support.

This e-book is the full English version of a manuscript, which was translated and printed in Danish by Southern Africa Contact, Copenhagen, Denmark in 2007: For enden af regnbuen?
Social identitet og velfærd i det nye Sydafrika.
Several notes in the reduced Danish edition refer to this original version.

When I was invited by South African and Russian colleagues to participate in this Moscow seminar, I chose to join in after some consideration. It was a chance to delve deeper into the Scandinavian engagement around England´s annexation of the Boer republics. The topic is on the periphery of my research field, but I found there was something to learn. The following is simply some discussion notes.