PARKTOWN – The Cambridge Companion to Nelson Mandela, a book compiled by English and Comparative Literature Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Rita Barnard, was launched at Wits University.
It was launched by the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research in collaboration with the Houghton-based Nelson Mandela Foundation.
The 349-page book consists of a compilation of essays written by experts in history, anthropology, jurisprudence, cinema, literature, and visual studies. They examine Mandela’s journey towards becoming a global icon, his relation to tradition and modernity, among other topics.
Other contributors to the book are Philip Bonner, David Schalkwyk, Deborah Posel, Brenna Munro, Zolani Ngwane, Adam Sitze, Jonathan Hyslop, Sifiso Mxolisi Ndlovu, Daniel Roux, Litheko Modisane, Lize van Robbroeck, Sarah Nuttall and Achille Mbembe.
Mandela passed away aged 95, on 5 December last year at his Houghton home after suffering from a recurring and prolonged respiratory infection. He was buried in Qunu, his birth village in the Eastern Cape.
