A CENTURY IS A SHORT TIME – NEW PERSPECTIVES ON THE ANGLO-BOER WAR/EDITED BY A CENTURY IS A SHORT TIME – NEW PERSPECTIVES ON THE ANGLO-BOER WAR BY INA SNYMAN, IAN LIEBENBERG, GERT VAN DER WESTHUIZEN, MARIAAN ROOS

Abstract

The editors claim that this book attempts to further stimulate debate onthe Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902. Therefore, they included contributions fromdifferent disciplines, but with the main emphasis still on historical writing. Theystrived to continue the tradition to regard all historical debate as temporary andwithin the expression by the Dutch historian, Pieter Geyl, that history is a debatewithout end. From that point of view, the publication is timely and has thepotential to enhance our comprehension of one of the events that had a profoundinfluence on the history of South Africa. Because of the divergent approaches ofthe different authors, the different contributions are briefly analysed before a valuejudgement on the publication as a whole is made.