John Higginson, professor of history at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, is an acclaimed authority on South Africa and comparative labor politics, his two main fields of interest.

Higginson’s latest work Collective Violence and the Agrarian Origins of South African Apartheid, 1900-1948 (Cambridge University Press, 2014) paints a comprehensive and captivating picture of the devastating path white supremacy forged in South Africa’s history. To get at the very root of the story, Higginson transports readers to the rural countryside just after the South African War. His powerful, well-researched narration, accompanied by archival photographs, guides us through the tumultuous and violent years that followed.

In our conversation, Professor Higginson eloquently unpacks the dark legacy of collective violence against South Africa’s rural population. Prepare to be left stunned, informed and contemplating. Enjoy.