1st Edition

Politics By Other Means Law in the Struggle Against Apartheid, 1980-1994

By Richard Abel Copyright 1995

    Politics by Other Means explores the fundamental question of how law can constrain political power by offering a pathbreaking account of the triumphant final decade of the struggle against apartheid.

    Richard Abel presents case studies of ten major legal campaigns including: challenges to pass laws; black trade union demands for recognition; state terror; censorship; resistance to the "independent" homelands; and treason trials.

    1. Glossary of Acronyms and Foreign Words; 2. Speaking with the Ogre; 3. Politics by Other Means?; 4. Carving Loopholes in the Pass Laws; 5. White Resistance to the Military; 6. Seeking Recognition; 7. Mpophomeni and the War in Ntal; 8. State Terrorism: The Response of Law and Medicine to Police Torture; 9. Censorship and the Closure of the New Nation; 10. The Alexandra Treason Trial; 11. Bakwena ba Magopa: The Last Forced Removal; 12. Moutse and KwaNdebele: Ethnicity and Gender in the Challange to Grand Apartheid; 13. Disestablishing Oukasie; 14. The Roles of Law.

    Biography

    Richard Abel teaches law at UCLA and has published numerous books and articles on the legal profession and informal justice.

    "...this is a valuable study, adding significantly to our understanding of the complexity of South African bureaucratic politics during the 1980s The International Journal of African Historical Studies."
    "Going beyond a discussion of high-profile political trials, Abel also provides copiously detailed chapters on legal contests involving pass laws, censorship, forced removals, trade union rights, and draft resistance." -- Foreign Affairs
    "offers useful material for courses in South African politics or comparative legal systems." -- Choice
    "...offers useful material for courses in South African politics or comparative legal systems." -- Choice