NEW RELEASE
New book examines how science and tech shaped South African history
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William Beinart & 2 Saul Dubow
A s historians , we have both been
immersed for many years in trying to understand and write about South Africa ’ s complex , conflictual history . Conquest , colonial domination and racial division in the shape of apartheid played a central role . So too did the rise of black opposition and the transition in 1994 to an African National Congress government .
There were many strands in the weaving of this history , some neglected in the focus on race and political power . These include the profound role that science and technology played in shaping South Africa ’ s history . In our new book ,
The Scientific Imagination in South Africa , 1700 to the Present , we offer a historical overview of scientific ideas , practices and institutions in South Africa over more than three centuries .
We refer in the title to the “ scientific imagination ”. That ’ s because we link science both with power and with ideas about how human society can be reshaped . We also aim to discuss science as an expression of human curiosity , ingenuity , and the ability to make unlikely connections .
Innovation testing ground
From the late eighteenth century , the Cape became an important site for botanical and zoological exploration . The
Racial policies and modernist approaches privileged the narratives of formal , written , largely disciplinary-based sciences . The book incorporates discussion of indigenous and local knowledge when it fed into scientific discussion ,
Figure 1 . In the nineteenth century , improved breeds and new agricultural technology underpinned exports of ostrich feathers from South Africa . powerofforever / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Grassroots Vol 22 No 1 March 2022 50