South Africa’s Suspended Revolution

“This is a readable, well-informed and perceptive account of the political economy of contemporary South Africa. Although he is clear-eyed about the inequality and poverty that mar the social terrain and the factionalism, corruption and greed that currently affect elite politics, Habib makes a case for specific forms of political leadership, for an active citizenry, and for the possibility of social pacts as paths towards an alternative political agenda.”

“Adam Habib is the right person to have undertaken the task that has issued in this book, which he describes as ‘a culmination of at least two decades of debates, reflections and thoughts about
resistance in South Africa, its political and socio-economic evolution, and the conundrums and
dilemmas relating to the making of this society.’ (p. ix) He has managed ‘to bridge academic
and public discourse’ (p. x) while speaking truth to power.…Habib’s book offers a clear narrative, accessible academic analysis and a fair report on the state of the nation.”

— African Studies Quarterly

“Adam Habib’s Suspended Revolution provides a first-rate introduction to South African politics and it will be a point of reference for future debate. His approach is refreshing and his style is accessible to a range of audiences.” — The Journal of Modern African Studies

“[South Africa’s Suspended Revolution] offers a strong perspective, i.e. it is impatient and advocates change, and is not academically objective in the normal scholarly sense. However, it works very hard to achieve a balance, both in its source materials and in covering different schools of thought, and it works equally hard to be fair to key actors in the South African saga. It is, almost surprisingly, given its critique, hopeful — though clearly tempered.“