Shakespeare and South Africa

A topical study of the teaching of Shakespeare in South Africa from the early 19th century to the present day, covering a number of key historical moments in the interpretation of Shakespeare. This work contributes to the debate on the "neocolonial" use of English literature.

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Shakespeare and South Africa is a lively and topical study of the teaching and criticism of Shakespeare in South Africa from the early nineteenth century to the present day, covering a number of key historical moments in the interpretation of Shakespeare. David Johnson's work makes a valuable contribution to the well-established debate focused on the `neo-colonial' use of `English Literature' and to the more recent interest in the conditions of cultural assimilation.
Johnson's wide range of source materials - including Cape Department of Eduacation examination papers and exam reports, as well as newspaper articles and essays - provides detailed and original research into the formualtion of a literary education policy in South Africa. The perceptive insights into changes in thinking about pedagogic and cultural issues in the South African colonial 'periphery' and into the values associated with those changes makes for fascinating reading, and a significant resource for South African cultural studies.