Reseña de Choise

This is a very timely and readable book about women's testimony before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Zwelethemba, Western Cape. Although written as an anthropology dissertation, it is not an ethnography of one culture but a collection of statements of activists and nonactivists who appeared before the Commission and influential women activists who did not testify. Often using the women's own words, the author describes daily state-committed violence in South Africans' lives during apartheid. Surprisingly, in their testimony the women often described the suffering of men much more than their own suffering. The Commission's findings emphasize bodily violations couched in passive terms. Ross (Univ. of Cape Town) contends the Commission and the media characterized those who testified as passive victims, whereas many of the resistors view themselves as active agents of change. Many South Africans who experienced human rights violations, especially women, are not represented in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's reports because they chose not to testify. Their silence must be taken into account and understood. Excellent case studies of individual women's backgrounds and resistance activities during the apartheid regime are provided. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. All levels/collections. R. Ellovich North Carolina State University