Midfielder's Moment

A timely exploration of and intervention into the South African ideological landscape from the perspective of the colored community.. In Midfielders Moment, Grant Farred explores the ways in which political fissures are being articulated in the new South Africa. By examining the politics, literature, and culture of an historically disenfranchised constituencythe colored communitythis collection of essays sheds critical light on the current issues raging within the post-apartheid state. From an essay explicating the colored vote in the Western Cape, to a critical rethinking of the 1960s protest Writers (how Richard Rive, Arthur Nortje, and Jennifer Davids can be understood in view of recent events), to an in-depth analysis of the way that sports delineate the racial and class tensions underpinning the society, Midfielders Moment is a timely exploration of and intervention into the South African ideological landscape from the perspective of the colored community. }In Midfielders Moment, South African-born scholar Grant Farred explores the ways in which ideological differences and political fissures are being articulated in the new South Africa. By examining the politics, literature, and culture of an disenfranchised constituencythe colored communitythis collection of essays sheds critical light on the current debates ragging within the new post-apartheid state.From an essay explicating the colored vote in the Western Cape, to a critical rethinking of the 1960s Protest Writers (how Richard Rive, Arthur Nortje, and Jennifer Davids can be understood in view of recent events), to an in-depth analysis of the way sports delineate the racial and class tensions underpinning the society, the book gives voice to a uniquely embattled people.The title of this project is taken only in part from the sports focus of three of the books essaysa midfielder refers to the intermediary but crucial position on a football team, one which links the defense to the attack. Midfielders Moment refers, more saliently, to the ambiguous location the colored community occupies on the South African political landscape. By identifying the precarious middle ground that colored South Africans occupybetween a newly enfranchised black majority and a historically empowered white minority Midfielders Moment is a timely exploration of and intervention into the South African ideological landscape from the perspective of the colored community. }