Prof Peter Alexander, Professor of Sociology at the
University of Johannesburg, where he holds the South African Chair in Social
Change.
Title: Marikana: the Massacre and its Meaning
Date: Monday 22nd April 2013
Time: 5pm
Venue: Faculty of Humanities Seminar Room, Cnr Somerset
& Prince Alfred Streets
Discussants:
Camalita Naicker, MA Candidate, Political and International Studies
Discussants:
Camalita Naicker, MA Candidate, Political and International Studies
Nosipho Mngomezulu, MA Candidate, Anthropology
On 16 August 2012 police carried out the largest massacre of
civilians by the South African state since the Soweto Uprising. Two days later
Peter Alexander and his team were already in the field conducting interviews
with workers who were present. This led to the exposure of a second site of
police killings, at the so-called 'Killing Koppie', and then to further
research leading to the book Marikana: A View from the Mountain and a Case to
Answer. To date, this is the only book on the massacre and the deaths that
occurred in the preceding week. It has been published in South Africa and the
UK, and further editions are planned for the US, Germany and France.
The talk will draw on evidence emerging from the Marikana
Inquiry as well as interviews with workers it will open discussion on the
enduring significance of the massacre.
