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Writing the ancestral river - A biography of the Kowie (Paperback)
Loot Price: R273
Discovery Miles 2 730
You Save: R77
(22%)
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Writing the ancestral river - A biography of the Kowie (Paperback)
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List price R350
Loot Price R273
Discovery Miles 2 730
You Save R77 (22%)
Expected to ship within 5 - 10 working days
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Writing the Ancestral River is an illuminating and unusual
biography of the Kowie River in the Eastern Cape. This tidal river
runs through the centre of what used to be called the Zuurveld, a
formative meeting ground of different peoples who have shaped our
history: Khoikhoi herders, Xhosa pastoralists, Dutch trekboers and
British settlers. Their direct descendants continue to live in the
area and interact in ways that have been decisively shaped by their
shared history. Besides being a social history, this is also a
natural history of the river and its catchment area, where
dinosaurs once roamed and cycads still grow. As the book shows, the
natural world of the Kowie has felt the effects of human
settlement, most strikingly through the establishment of a harbour
at the mouth of the river in the 19th century and the development
of a marina in the late 20th century. Both projects have had a
decisive and deleterious impact on the Kowie. By focusing on this
`little' river, the book raises larger questions about colonialism,
capitalism, `development' and the ecology. In particular it asks us
to consider the connections between social and environmental
justice and injustice. As the author says, `Around the world people
are increasingly reconnecting with nature and justice through
rivers. Unlike other bodies of water, such as dams, oceans and
lakes, rivers have a destination and we can learn from the strength
and certainty with which they travel. I believe this learning is
valuable because acknowledging the past, and the intergenerational,
racialised privileges, damages and denials it established and
perpetuates, is necessary for any shared future.'
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