The Founders

"This is a unique work of high scholarship unlikely to find any rivals. Odendaal clarifies and explains in detail the much-neglected early history of the African political organizations and personalities as well as the complex culture of the emergent black press that eventually coalesced in 1912 with the formation of the African National Congress."—Peter Limb, Michigan State University

"This is a stunning work. The Founders promised to be the kind of reference work that scholars will rely on for generations to come."—Robert Russell Edgar, Howard University

"André Odendaal's...The Founders, is a lavishly detailed history and tribute to the men and women who laid the foundations for African democratic political participation in South Africa."—International Journal of African Historical Studies

"Odendaal's study is a testament to black South Africans' dogged struggle for democratic participation and representation..."—American Historical Review

"In his lavishly detailed work, Andre' Odendaal provides an in-depth account of and tribute to the men and women who laid the foundations for African democratic political participants in South Africa. [. . .] The Founders is as comprehensive as it is passionate. Odendaal's writing enriches the understanding of the ideals and efforts of a wide range of pioneering Africans who sought to make for themselves a level playing field for democracy despite the vicissitudes of whites."—Historian