| Abstract | "This fascinating work challenges many of the accepted facts about the concentration camps run by the British during the South African War. Liz Stanley demonstrates that much of what we have traditionally understood about these camps originates from the testimony which was solicited, selected and published by key women activists within Boer proto-nationalist circles. Using detailed archival evidence, Stanley shows that much of the history of the camps results from a deliberate imposition of 'post/memory' -- a process by which what was 'remembered' was shaped and reshaped to support the development of a racialised nationalist framework. Many of the camps' occupants died from successive epidemics of measles, typhoid, enteritis and pneumonia rather than deliberate ill-treatment. However the book shows how mourning for those who died was overridden by state commemorative activities concerned with promoting pan-Boer proto-nationalist aspirations. The innovative and groundbreaking approach of the author also invites the reader to explore the meanings and effects of the many commemorative sites which still powerfully mark the South African landscape. This solidly-grounded yet provocative study will make fascinating reading for those interested in the history of South Africa and the issues of memory and commemoration."--Dust jacket.
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