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The Transnational and Local Dimensions of the U.S. Anti-Apartheid Movement

Abstract Details

2019, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, History.
This dissertation analyzes the creation and cultivation of the movement to oppose South African apartheid in the United States. The anti-apartheid movement is frequently cited as one of the most successful protest movements of the twentieth century, both because of its scale as well as its success in enacting sanctions against South Africa despite a number of considerable obstacles. Less attention has been paid to how the anti-apartheid movement in the United States cultivated such a broad following. It would be a mistake to assume that because most people found apartheid to be morally repugnant, a movement capable of effectively lobbying the U.S. government was a historical inevitability. The dissertation analyzes the transnational dimensions of the anti-apartheid movement to study how a national constituency was built. This analysis opens up facets of the anti-apartheid movement in the United States, namely its local and grassroots dimensions, as well as the ways in which transnational actors shaped national committees. This analytical approach reveals that opposition to apartheid was cast in a variety of ways: opposition to racism, critiques of global capitalism, organized labor struggles, anti-nuclear proliferation, and peace activism were all different facets of the U.S. anti-apartheid movement during its existence. The significance of this analysis shows how the movement was sustained for a long period of time, how it succeeded, and the legacy of the anti-apartheid movement today.
Peter Hahn (Advisor)
Jenniffer Siegel (Advisor)
Mitchell Lerner (Committee Member)
Joe Parrott (Committee Member)
280 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Larson, R. Z. (2019). The Transnational and Local Dimensions of the U.S. Anti-Apartheid Movement [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1555419076218713

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Larson, Robert. The Transnational and Local Dimensions of the U.S. Anti-Apartheid Movement. 2019. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1555419076218713.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Larson, Robert. "The Transnational and Local Dimensions of the U.S. Anti-Apartheid Movement." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1555419076218713

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)