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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Smuts and the idea of race
Author:Garson, NoelISNI
Year:2007
Periodical:South African Historical Journal
Issue:57
Pages:153-178
Language:English
Geographic term:South Africa
Subjects:attitudes
racism
About person:Jan Christiaan Smuts (1870-1950)ISNI
External link:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02582470709464714
Abstract:The author examines the question of Jan Smuts's ideas of race. To many, Smuts is an enigma: we have his assertions but his innermost beliefs may be unfathomable. Some of the problems of interpretation stem from the fact that he was endowed with a powerful intellect, which was enriched by the kind of education he received. The author first presents an overview of Smuts's views on race, across his whole career, and, second, assesses the practical side of his wrestles over racial issues, without assuming that this was a function of either his forays into science and metaphysics, or the experiences of his formative years. The author identifies, chiefly through Smuts's own statements on certain key occasions, Smuts's main ideas on the subject and establishes how far these changed over the years. Next, accepting that Smuts never entertained the ideal of nonracialism or the goal of a common society, the author addresses the task of fixing Smuts's position on a spectrum of racist views. This approach may uncover the nuances, complexities and ambiguities characterizing Smuts's powerful intellect, tempered by the pragmatism imposed by these realities. Notes, ref. [ASC Leiden abstract]
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