Wits The Early Years: A History Of The University Of The Witwatersrand Johannesburg And Its Precursors 1896–1939
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
In the heart of Johannesburg, where gold-rush ambition gave way to intellectual endeavour, the University of the Witwatersrand rose from modest colonial origins to become one of Africa's foremost centres of learning — and Wits: The Early Years chronicles that remarkable transformation with scholarly precision and narrative verve. Bruce K. Murray traces the institutional lineage from its precursor schools and mining colleges of 1896 through to 1939, presenting a richly detailed account of the personalities, politics, and pioneering spirit that shaped a university in a young, turbulent nation. Murray's meticulous archival research situates Wits within the broader currents of South African history — the aftermath of the Anglo-Boer War, the formation of the Union, and the social tensions of a rapidly industrialising society — illustrating how the university both reflected and challenged the contradictions of its era. His authoritative prose gives voice to the academics, administrators, and students who built an institution against considerable odds, arguing that the university's early struggles were inseparable from the story of South Africa itself. For anyone fascinated by the history of higher education in Africa, or the intellectual and social fabric of early twentieth-century Johannesburg, this is an indispensable and quietly revelatory work.
Author: Bruce K. Murray
Format: Hardback
Published: 1982, Witwatersrand University Press
Genre: African history
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
In the heart of Johannesburg, where gold-rush ambition gave way to intellectual endeavour, the University of the Witwatersrand rose from modest colonial origins to become one of Africa's foremost centres of learning — and Wits: The Early Years chronicles that remarkable transformation with scholarly precision and narrative verve. Bruce K. Murray traces the institutional lineage from its precursor schools and mining colleges of 1896 through to 1939, presenting a richly detailed account of the personalities, politics, and pioneering spirit that shaped a university in a young, turbulent nation. Murray's meticulous archival research situates Wits within the broader currents of South African history — the aftermath of the Anglo-Boer War, the formation of the Union, and the social tensions of a rapidly industrialising society — illustrating how the university both reflected and challenged the contradictions of its era. His authoritative prose gives voice to the academics, administrators, and students who built an institution against considerable odds, arguing that the university's early struggles were inseparable from the story of South Africa itself. For anyone fascinated by the history of higher education in Africa, or the intellectual and social fabric of early twentieth-century Johannesburg, this is an indispensable and quietly revelatory work.