Insiders and Outsiders1994

In this social and economic history of the Indian working class in Durban, Bill Freund has woven strands of gender-related, political, ethnic and cultural issues into a complex and intriguing pattern. As "insiders and outsiders," the Indian working class presented an analytical challenge in studying economic history "from below." The result is a skillful capture of the nuances in the interplay of social forces, and the initiatives of particular classes and particular cultural formations, which simultaneously brings the larger picture into focus. The essential underlying concern of this book is to relate the history of this group to the changing nature of South African capitalism in the twentieth century. It unites an interest in people and agency with a conviction that structures are important in limiting the circumstances in which men and women pursue their destiny. Insiders and Outsiders is based on a disparate and wide range of sources, including oral material. The richness and variety of these sources, deftly handled, provide vitality and texture, but the author has firmly maintained an integrative and controlling voice in constructing the text. Throughout, this unfolding history is keenly analysed by an admitted "outsider," but enlivened by flashes of genuine insight which would do credit to an "insider."