Dan Feather

Also a huge thank you to the @mybisa.bsky.social which funded the research undertaken in South Africa that is used in this article, and staff at North West University, Mahikeng, for hosting me during this trip and inviting me to deliver a seminar paper

For the sake of full disclosure, I should admit the theft itself is discussed very little & I’m mainly interested in the diplomatic headache the detention of of GB nationals in an officially unrecognised state caused GB policymakers

‘A jigsaw puzzle which Britain finds difficult to solve’: Britain, Bophuthatswana and the Sun City Eight Abstract. In January 1984, seven British and one US national were jailed in the ‘independent’ Bantustan of Bophuthatswana for their roles in a complex frau

You might have seen the film Ocean’s 11, but have you heard of the Sun City 8 who stole millions of Rand from a Casino in the South African Bantustan of Bophuthatswana? No? Well you can read all about it in my latest article published in @mbhjournal.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/tcbh...

In hastily written first drafts I used to always misspell apartheid by putting the I before the e. I have finally stopped doing this, but instead have started putting the i before the a in Britain

Only just found this relatively new article by Nick Cull and I'm absolutely buzzing that such an eminent scholar of cultural diplomacy has cited my work!
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Happens with primary sources too in my experience

Brilliant few days at #BATW25 excellent papers and even better conversations. Not sure I’ll make it as a walking tour guide mind 😂😂

Early morning walk to blow off the cobwebs (*post conference meal wine hangover*) before the final day of #BATW25

So excited to incorporate AI into the classroom and liberate my students from boring tasks like reading and thinking

The Hostel Peace Initiative: Rethinking Violence and Peace at the End of Apartheid In August 1992, one of the most remarkable peace initiatives was launched in South Africa when two warring migrant worker hostels began negotiating for a truce. The residents of the African Nationa...

New article alert!! In this article, Franziska Rueedi examines the Hostel Peace Initiative in the greater Johannesburg areas during the final years of Apartheid and uses it to shed new light on the democratic transition in South Africa
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Should have said this week! It’s come around quickly indeed

I am currently working on the next article which will emerge from this project, analysing British policy towards KwaZulu Chief Minister Gatsha Buthelezi, having undertaken a research trip to KwaZul-Natal last month, funded by the International History Review/Taylor & Francis research award

More than just the ‘‘Bop Lobby’’: Britain and the ‘‘independence’’ of Bophuthatswana Daniel Feather discusses how BISA ECSRG funding helped him to further develop his research.

The second article, currently in press with @mbhjournal.bsky.social analyses Britain's response to the detention of 8 fraudsters in the Bophuthatswana Bantustan. This project was funded by @mybisa.bsky.social more information can be found here: www.bisa.ac.uk/articles/mor...

From Kew to KaNgwane: The Development of a Case Study in British-Bantustan Relations

The article can be viewed open access (thanks to @ljmuofficial.bsky.social OA agreement) here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... with a shorter write up available here: www.history.org.uk/higher-ed/re...

The first article published with History: The Journal of the @histassoc.bsky.social analyses British efforts to court KaNgwane leader Enos J. Mabuza, who, despite working within the apartheid system was highly critical of the NP government and met the ANC leadership in exile in 1986.

Very much looking forward to @ljmuhistory.bsky.social hosting the annual @batw.bsky.social conference next week. I'll be discussing my research into British policy towards the South African Bantustans which has so far led to one publication with another in press

Random archive discovery from KwaZulu research trip: Buthelezi presented prizes at the Daily Star Gold Awards in 1993

What is the point in Labour? They are becoming a Reform tribute act who view the working class as a bigoted caricature. Might be a better idea to chase some of the 11 million who voted for Labour back in 2017

Lecturer in African History (Fixed term for 12 months) at Liverpool John Moores University Recruiting now: Lecturer in African History (Fixed term for 12 months) on jobs.ac.uk. Click for details and explore more academic job opportunities on the top job board

Fixed term post in African History in my department covering a colleague's externally funded research leave www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNH697/l...

Back to work after a great research trip to SA. Now all I need to do is incorporate all this new research into a draft article that is already too big

Watching Trump & Ramaphosa talk, is basically like watching an intelligent adult try and deal with your thick racist grandad. If I was Ramaphosa I’d just walk out. I’m saying this as a white guy doing research in an SA town which is basically 99% black, where I have been made nothing but welcome

Saying this as a white guy doing research in an SA town which is basically 99% black, where I have been made nothing but welcome

Also an added bonus that I’m staying on the hotel where many visiting diplomats and business people were wined and dined. The legacy is clear to see

Also an added bonus that my hotel, the former Holiday Inn, was where most visiting diplomats stayed and were wide and dined

Also, feels very important visit the heart of ‘Zululand’ and witness how much Buthelezi is still venerated.

Having a productive week so far in Ulundi undertaking research for my project on UK relations with the KwaZulu Bantustan

So UK politics is now Reform and the two (current) largest parties as Reform tribute acts. Depressing that Farage has the single largest political influence of any politician for decades

Although to be fair you could say the same thing with Labour. Centrist progressives more at home in Lib Dems, socialists/social democrats more at home with the Greens, while the bigoted boomers who lent their votes in anger at the Tories in 24 are now surely firmly with Reform

I'm actually quite intrigued what sort of person is still backing the Tories? The racist reactionaries must have all gone to Reform, while the Cameron style 'moderates' are surely more at home with the Lib Dems than Badenoch's Farage tribute act

Harsh analysis, chasing the votes of people who despise you and will never vote for you, while developing policies that alienate those who just about tolerate, you makes perfect political sense