Philip Lewis Bonner (31 March 1945 – 24 September 2017) was a historian of South Africa. He was an Emeritus Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand with a focus on labour and urban history.
Philip Bonner | |
|---|---|
| Born | 31 March 1945 |
| Died | 24 September 2017 (aged 72) |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | SOAS University of London |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Historian |
| Sub-discipline | History of South Africa Social history Labour history |
| Institutions | University of the Witwatersrand |
Academic career
Bonner was hired in 1971 in the history department of the University of the Witwatersrand to establish African history as a scholarly field.[1] His early work was concerned with the Swazi Kingdom in the nineteenth century,[1] and resulted in his first monograph, based on his doctoral thesis, published in 1983.[2][3] In 1977, following the Soweto uprising,[4] Bonner was involved in the founding of the History Workshop at the University of the Witwatersrand,[5] and was its chair from 1987–2012.[1] Inspired by the History Workshop Journal at the University of Oxford,[4] the scholars at Witwatersrand championed local social history[6] and emphasised the use of oral testimonies.[7] He was chair of the group from 1987 until 2012.[1] From 1979, Bonner sat on the editorial board of the South African Labour Bulletin.[8] Between 1998 and 2003, he was head of the History Department at Witwatersrand.[5] In 2007, Bonner was awarded a National Research Foundation Chair in Local Histories and Present Realities, which he held until his retirement in 2012.[5]
Beyond academic writing, he was involved in the development of the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg,[7] and was the historical consultant on a documentary series about Soweto.[9]
Trade union activism
In addition to his academic activities, Bonner was involved in worker education and trade unions,[2] affiliated particularly with the ideology of 'workerism'.[10] In the 1980s, he served as the education officer for the Federation of South African Trade Unions.[5]
Major publications
- Bonner, Philip (1982). Kings, Commoners and Concessionaires: The Evolution and Dissolution of the Nineteenth-Century Swazi State (PDF). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-52124270-3.
- Bonner, Philip; Delius, Peter; Posel, Deborah, eds. (1993). Apartheid's Genesis, 1935–1962. Ravan Press.
- Bonner, Philip; Segal, Lauren (1998). Soweto: A History. Maskew Miller Longman.
- Bonner, Philip; Nieftagodien, Noor (2001). Kathorus: A History. Maskew Miller Longman.
- Bonner, Philip; Esterhuysen, Amanda; Jenkins, Trefor, eds. (2007). A Search for Origins: Science, history and South Africa's 'Cradle of Humankind'. Wits University Press. doi:10.18772/22007104181. ISBN 9781868146697.
- Swanepoel, Natalie; Esterhuysen, Amanda; Bonner, Philip, eds. (2008). Five Hundred Years Rediscovered: Southern African Precedents And Prospects. Wits University Press. doi:10.18772/22008084747. ISBN 9781868146352.
- Bonner, Philip; Nieftagodien, Noor (2008). Alexandra: A History. Wits University Press. doi:10.18772/22008114808. ISBN 9781868146147.
- Bonner, Philip; Nieftagodien, Noor; Mathabatha, Sello (2012). Ekurhuleni: The Making of an Urban Region. Wits University Press. doi:10.18772/22012115430. ISBN 9781868145997.
References
External links
- Philip Bonner Memorial Service, University of the Witwatersrand, 5 October 2017