Political Economy and Critical Engagement in South Africa

This book examines contemporary understandings of social change and political economy in a democratic South Africa through the lens of the intellectual, social and political life of Vishnu Padayachee. Padayachee was one of the foremost South African progressive intellectuals who worked on themes of macroeconomics, economic history, development and policy-making, as well as academic leadership, sport and social history. The edited volume critically reflects and engages with these themes in relation to the evolution of emancipatory thought, as well as social change and its challenges in a democratic South Africa. The contributors are drawn from a diverse community of progressive scholars – considered among the most eminent in their field – who were associated with Padayachee over a period of 50 years in South Africa and globally. Chapters cover the importance of place in relation to Umkomaas and Durban; transformation in the university and its difficulties; trade unionism and the world of resistance politics; the unfolding of macro-economic policies during South Africa’s transition to democracy; and regional and international trends in economic development and policy. The book also attests to Padayachee’s enormous contribution to the world of culture, books and sport in tributes that bring the book to a close.