WITS: The 'Open' Years

283 pages. Temps de lecture estimé 3h32min.
This book looks at the history of Wits University during and after World War II and its defense to maintain its ‘open’ status to admit students of all races.This, the second volume of the history of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits) by historian Bruce Murray, has as its central theme the process by which Wits became an ‘open’ university admitting students of all races, the compromises this process entailed, and the defence the University mounted to preserve its ‘open’ status in the face of the challenges posed by the Nationalist Government. The University’s institutional autonomy is highlighted by Yunus Ballim in his preface to the centenary edition of WITS: The ‘Open’ Years. He writes: ‘The emerging posture of a university willing to rise in defence of academic freedom was important because this was to become infused into the institutional culture of Wits.’ The book looks at the University’s role in South Africa’s war effort, its contribution to the education of ex-volunteers after the war, its leading role in training job-seeking professionals required by a rapidly expanding economy, and the rise of research and postgraduate study. WITS: The ‘Open’ Years paints a vivid picture of student life through their political activities, the flourishing of a student intelligentsia, the heyday of the Remember and Give (Rag) parade, rugby intervarsity, and the stunning success of Wits sportsmen and women.Foreword by Yunus Ballim Foreword by R.W. Charlton, Vice-Chancellor and Principal Preface and Acknowledgements Part I: World War II and the Ex-Volunteers Chapter 1 Wits at War Chapter 2 Raikes and the ‘Open University’ 1939–48 Chapter 3 Wits and the Ex-Volunteers Chapter 4 World War II, the Ex-Volunteers and Student Politics Part II: Wits in the Post-War Era 1945–1959 Chapter 5 Raikes, Student Politics and the Coming of Apartheid Chapter 6 Profile of Wits Chapter 7 Professional Faculties Chapter 8 Arts and Science Chapter 9 Defending the ‘Open University’ Chapter 10 End of an Era Part III: Student Life Chapter 11 Student Life in the 1950s – A.W. Stadler Chapter 12 Wits Sport 1939–1959 – Jonty Winch Notes Index