'Africa Forms the Key' - Alex Du Toit and the History of Continental Drift (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2021)

This book examines the work of prominent South African geologist Alex Du Toit as a means of understanding the debate around continental drift both in segregation-era South Africa and internationally. It contextualises Du Toit's work within a particularly formative period of South African science, from the paleoanthropological discoveries that sparked debates about the origins of humankind to Jan Smuts' own theory of holism. Beyond South African scientific discoveries, the book sets Du Toit's work against a backdrop of ideological struggles over space, both domestically in terms of segregation and nationalism, as well as internationally as South Africa sought to assert its position within the Commonwealth. These debates were embodied by Du Toit's work on the theory of continental drift, which put Africa - and South Africa - at the centre geologically and geographically. The author also focuses on the divisions in geology caused by drift theory, tracing the vigorous intellectual debate and dissent indicative of the ideological milieu within which scientific thought is constructed. It traces the history of continental drift from its inception in the nineteenth century and later work of Alfred Wegener, which was both elaborated upon and substantiated by Du Toit. The study further focuses on Du Toit's research on continental drift in South African and South America, and the geological, fossil and climatological evidence used to bolster this theory.

General

Imprint:	Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Country of origin:	Switzerland
Series:	Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies
Release date:	2021
First published:	2021
Authors:	Suryakanthie Chetty
Dimensions:	210 x 148mm (L x W)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	271
Edition:	1st ed. 2021
ISBN-13:	978-3-03-052710-5
Categories:	Books > Science & Mathematics > Science: general issues > History of science Books > Reference & Interdisciplinary > Interdisciplinary studies > Cultural studies > History of ideas, intellectual history Books > Humanities > History > African history > General Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political ideologies > Imperialism Books > History > African history > General
LSN:	3-03-052710-7
Barcode:	9783030527105

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