This article is a personal assessment aimed to establish J.S. Marais's legacy. It is written in the light of the insights I gained as I interacted with him as an undergraduate and honours student (starting in 1949), as a research student, and finally as a departmental colleague over a period of ten years or so. It begins with my experience of his teaching. He was a...

This article considers the historical roots of, and scientific evidence for, rival 'jackal narratives' about the ecology and control of the black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas) in the Karoo, South Africa. During the mid 20th century, state-supported co-operative hunting and jackal-proof fences largely contained jackal predation. But as South Africa moved towards d...

This article tracks the life of the song ?Umshini Wami? (My Machine Gun) adopted by Jacob Zuma, the President of the African National Congress, since early 2005. It explores the wider implications of political song in the public sphere in South Africa and aims to show how ?Umshini Wami? helped Jacob Zuma to prominence and demonstrated a longing in the body politic...

Countering the arguments of Elie Kedourie and Martin Kramer, this paper argues that Jacques Berque's third worldism did not represent a personal 'revolt' against his own heritage. An examination of his memoirs shows that criticisms of his life and scholarship are not historically grounded. In politics Berque called for dialogue and interaction, not a political or p...