History of Apartheid Podcast

The ‘History of Apartheid’ podcast series offers an introduction to the history of apartheid in South Africa through conversations with leading historians. It has been designed around the Edexcel A-level history exam specifications in order to support teachers and students who wish to engage with this history, however we expect its contents to be accessible to a wide range of interested listeners.

The podcast series is hosted by Ciara McCombe, a history and politics teacher in North West London. It has been produced by Dr Natasha Robinson and Professor William Beinart, for the Liliesleaf Trust UK’s Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory and Learning, supported by generous funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and Pearson Edexcel. These podcasts offer a variety of historical perspectives presented by a range of eminent historians. At times, these historians may disagree with one another representing the shifting and negotiated nature of historical interpretation. There is no definitive narrative of the history of apartheid or South Africa, and the views do not necessarily reflect the position of the podcasts’ producers, hosts and funders. We would like to thank the Jürgen Schadeberg Archive, the Anti-Apartheid Movement Archives and the Photography Legacy Project for the use of several photographic images.

Header image: Violet Hache, African Trade Union leader, at “Freedom Square” in Fordsburg, Johannesburg, 6th April 1952.

Photographer Jürgen Schadeberg. Courtesy Claudia Schadeberg, Collection: Defiance Campaign South Africa 1952, Jürgen Schadeberg Archives