Apartheid's Black Soldiers: Un-national Wars and Militaries in Southern Africa

New oral histories from Black Namibian and Angolan troops who fought in apartheid South Africa's security forces reveal their involvement and its impact on their lives to be far more complicated than most historical scholarship has acknowledged. Lennart Bolliger's book challenges the common framing of these wars as struggles of national liberation fought by and for Africans against White colonial and settler-state armies. It investigates how and why these soldiers participated in South Africa's security forces and considers the legacies of that involvement. The book's unique analysis of apartheid military culture shows how South Africa's military units were far from monolithic and developed distinctive institutional practices, mythologies, and concepts of militarized masculinity.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 08 November 2022
Publisher: Ohio University Press

In the complex tapestry of anticolonial struggles across the African continent, a significant contingent of African soldiers played pivotal roles in the militaries of colonial and settler states. In the southern region of Africa, these soldiers often formed the backbone of these military forces, often outnumbering those who fought in the liberation movements' armed wings. Despite their profound impact on the region's military and political history, this dimension of southern Africa's anticolonial struggles has largely been overlooked in previous scholarship.

Black troops from Namibia and Angola, in particular, played a central role in spearheading apartheid South Africa's military intervention in their respective anticolonial wars and postindependence civil wars. Drawing from oral history interviews and archival sources, Lennart Bolliger presents a nuanced and challenging perspective on these wars, challenging the common framing that portrays them as solely struggles of national liberation fought by and for Africans against White colonial and settler-state armies.

Through the lens of three case studies of predominantly Black units commanded by White officers, Bolliger delves into the complex motivations and circumstances that led these soldiers to participate in South Africa's security forces. He seeks to understand how and why these individuals chose to align themselves with a regime that perpetuated racial oppression and violence. By rejecting the simplistic categorizations of soldiers as either "collaborators" or "traitors," Bolliger reveals the nuanced and complex nature of anticolonial struggles.

Moreover, the book offers a unique analysis of apartheid military culture, highlighting the diversity and complexity of South Africa's military units. Bolliger demonstrates that these units were far from monolithic and developed distinctive institutional practices, mythologies, and attitudes that shaped their actions and interactions with both their African colleagues and the broader South African society.

In conclusion, "Black Troops in Apartheid South Africa's Security Forces" is a groundbreaking work that sheds new light on the complex and multifaceted nature of anticolonial struggles in southern Africa. By challenging the dominant narratives and offering a nuanced and empathetic perspective, Bolliger contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the region's history and the role played by African soldiers in shaping it. This book is a must-read for scholars, activists, and anyone interested in exploring the complexities of race, power, and resistance in the African continent.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780821425114