This book assesses South African history within imperial and global networks of power, trade and communication. South African modernity is understood in terms of the interplay between internal and external forces. Key historical themes, including the emergence of an industrialised economy, the development of systematic racial discrimination and popular resistance against racial power, and the influence of national and ethnic identities on political and social organisation, are set out in relation to imperial and global influences. This book is central to our understanding of South Africa in the context of world history. This is exactly the book I have been looking for. It offers an accessible and well-research survey of South African history from the colonial period to the present. By interpreting South African history in an international context, the book makes very useful background reading for geography students thinking about the geopolitical significance of apartheid and the international opposition to it.