Robben Island and Prisoner Resistance to Apartheid [Paperback]

This book reconstructs the Robben Island inmates' resistance strategies.Robben Island prison in South Africa held thousands of black political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, who opposed apartheid. This book reconstructs the inmates' resistance strategies to show how these men created a political and social order behind bars. Survival was their first goal; challenging apartheid was their true aim. So although Robben Island was designed to repress, it was continually transformed by its political inmates into a site of resistance.Robben Island prison in South Africa held thousands of black political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, who opposed apartheid. This book reconstructs the inmates' resistance strategies to show how these men created a political and social order behind bars. Survival was their first goal; challenging apartheid was their true aim. So although Robben Island was designed to repress, it was continually transformed by its political inmates into a site of resistance.Robben Island prison in South Africa held thousands of black political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, who opposed apartheid. This study reconstructs the inmates' resistance strategies to demonstrate how they created a political and social order behind bars. Although survival was their primary goal, challenging apartheid was their ultimate objective. Robben Island was continually transformed by its political inmates into a site of resistance, despite being designed to repress.1. Introduction: prison as a source of politics; 2. Politics and prison: a background; 3: Resistance for survival; 4. Resistance beyond survival; 5. Prisoner politics and organization on Robben Island; 6. Debates and disagreements; 7. Influencing South African politics; 8. Political imprisonment and the state; 9. Theorizing islander resistance; 10. Beyond Robben Island: comparisons and conclusion. [T]his book is much more substantial than any previous treatment of Robben Island as a place of incarcelS·