Workers & warriors: masculinity and the struggle for nation in South Africa

Abstract

In this powerful and accessible analysis, Thembisa Waetjen explores how gender structured the mobilisation of Zulu nationalism as anti-apartheid efforts gained momentum in South Africa in the 1980s, as well as the dilemma of feminist politics when culture and gender compete as categories of loyalty and identification. It also functions as a study of patriarchy, from a traditional Zulu context to the male-dominated world of capitalist economies.

This seminal study provides a complex and historically informed view of how masculinity and gender power are articulated within the politics of nationalism and nation-building. The popular appeal of Zulu masculinity - with its martial reputation - makes Zulu nationalism a relevant case through which to explore these crucial critical questions.

Workers and Warriors provides a fascinating and highly relevant African case study for scholars and teachers in sociology, history, political science and gender studies.