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Actions Help FAQs Can't find what you're looking for? Browse Collections A-Z University of London	Baruch Hirson papers Remove from selection Add to selection Request this item TitleBaruch Hirson papers Held atInstitute of Commonwealth Studies Reference codeICS32 Date1912-c1998 Creator Hirson, Baruch (1921-1999) historian and South African political activistMore Info on CreatorLess Info on Creator Baruch Hirson was born at Doornfontein near Johannesburg, South Africa on 10 December 1921, the son of a Jewish electrician. Between 1944 and 1946 he worked as the political organiser for the Workers' International League, and subsequently he combined his politics with an academic career as a physicist at the University of the Witwatersrand. Towards the end of the 1950s he joined the Congress of Democrats, the white arm of the African National Congress-led congress alliance. Highly critical of its leadership and policies, Hirson, together with other disaffected left-wing congress activists, formed the Socialist League of Africa just before the Sharpeville massacre in 1960, and later the National Committee for Liberation/African Resistance Movement (ARM). The ARM was broken in 1964, and Hirson and other leading activists arrested and imprisoned for nine years. After his release he moved to Britain, taught physics at Bradford and Middlesex Universities and devoted much of his time to history and the publication of 'Searchlight South Africa' (1988-1995), a left-wing analysis of South African politics. He wrote several books on aspects of South African history and an autobiography, 'Revolutions on my Life' (1995). He died in London on 3 October 1999. Scope and ContentPapers of and collected by Baruch Hirson on South African politics, history, trade unions and social conditions; also comprising papers and correspondence used in Hirson's research. Topics include Workers' International League, Communist Party of South Africa, Workers' Party, Trotskyism in South Africa, Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania, Ruth and Amy Schechter, Cecil Frank Glass, David Ivon Jones, African Peoples Organisation, Workers Dreadnought, women's suffrage movement in South Africa, South Africa and the First World War, Mary Fitzgerald, miners in South Africa (especially strike of 1946), migrant labour in South Africa, University of Bradford School of Peace Studies, South African Coloured Peoples Congress, Searchlight South Africa correspondence and accounts (c1988-c1992), Jack Halpern draft articles and correspondence (1956-1960). Also transcripts of interviews including James Philips, Lewis Nkosi, Louis Kreel, E. J. Burford, Eli Weinberg, Sam and Sarah Woolf, Dan Mokanyana, Pauline Podbury, Anne Bloch, M. B. Yengwa, Eileen Jaffe, John Gaetsewe, Jack Hodgson (June 1977), Guy Routh, and Joan Robinson/Schedrin., Subjects also include Soweto riots, 1976; Soweto students representative council, 1976; Workers Organisation for Socialist Action; Congress of Peoples against Imperialism, c1949-c1959; allegations of torture by the French in Algeria, c1958. Conditions governing accessOpen for research although at least 24 hours notice before a research visit. However, access to individual items in archival collections may be restricted under the Data Protection Act or the Freedom of Information Act. Extent53 boxes (38 series) System of ArrangementPapers are arranged in 38 series based on Hirson's filing system and headings used in the second donation from Yael Hirson. Finding aidsHandlist for series 1-2 available in the library. Descriptions to file and item level for series 1-11, 13 and part of 14 available on this electronic catalogue. A pdf of the hard-copy version of this catalogue is attached to this description. Later deposits have been listed. A pdf of this finding aid (reference ICS32 B) is also attached to this description. Related files http://archives.ulrls.lon.ac.uk/resources/ICS32.pdf http://archives.ulrls.lon.ac.uk/resources/ICS32B.pdf University of Cape Town: Students' Representative Council papers on South African disturbances, 1976 (ICS81); There are also several other collections at the library given or deposited by Baruch Hirson, including the papers of H M Basner (ICS88); A L Saffery (ICS69); Josie Palmer (ICS57); and Neil Alcock (ICS3) Level of descriptionfonds Hierarchy browser contains 14 parts Baruch Hirson papers ICS32 \| 1912-c1998 fonds

TitleBaruch Hirson papers

Held atInstitute of Commonwealth Studies

Reference codeICS32

Date1912-c1998

Creator
- Hirson, Baruch (1921-1999) historian and South African political activistMore Info on CreatorLess Info on Creator
  Baruch Hirson was born at Doornfontein near Johannesburg, South Africa on 10 December 1921, the son of a Jewish electrician. Between 1944 and 1946 he worked as the political organiser for the Workers' International League, and subsequently he combined his politics with an academic career as a physicist at the University of the Witwatersrand. Towards the end of the 1950s he joined the Congress of Democrats, the white arm of the African National Congress-led congress alliance. Highly critical of its leadership and policies, Hirson, together with other disaffected left-wing congress activists, formed the Socialist League of Africa just before the Sharpeville massacre in 1960, and later the National Committee for Liberation/African Resistance Movement (ARM). The ARM was broken in 1964, and Hirson and other leading activists arrested and imprisoned for nine years. After his release he moved to Britain, taught physics at Bradford and Middlesex Universities and devoted much of his time to history and the publication of 'Searchlight South Africa' (1988-1995), a left-wing analysis of South African politics. He wrote several books on aspects of South African history and an autobiography, 'Revolutions on my Life' (1995). He died in London on 3 October 1999.

Scope and ContentPapers of and collected by Baruch Hirson on South African politics, history, trade unions and social conditions; also comprising papers and correspondence used in Hirson's research. Topics include Workers' International League, Communist Party of South Africa, Workers' Party, Trotskyism in South Africa, Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania, Ruth and Amy Schechter, Cecil Frank Glass, David Ivon Jones, African Peoples Organisation, Workers Dreadnought, women's suffrage movement in South Africa, South Africa and the First World War, Mary Fitzgerald, miners in South Africa (especially strike of 1946), migrant labour in South Africa, University of Bradford School of Peace Studies, South African Coloured Peoples Congress, Searchlight South Africa correspondence and accounts (c1988-c1992), Jack Halpern draft articles and correspondence (1956-1960). Also transcripts of interviews including James Philips, Lewis Nkosi, Louis Kreel, E. J. Burford, Eli Weinberg, Sam and Sarah Woolf, Dan Mokanyana, Pauline Podbury, Anne Bloch, M. B. Yengwa, Eileen Jaffe, John Gaetsewe, Jack Hodgson (June 1977), Guy Routh, and Joan Robinson/Schedrin., Subjects also include Soweto riots, 1976; Soweto students representative council, 1976; Workers Organisation for Socialist Action; Congress of Peoples against Imperialism, c1949-c1959; allegations of torture by the French in Algeria, c1958.

Conditions governing accessOpen for research although at least 24 hours notice before a research visit. However, access to individual items in archival collections may be restricted under the Data Protection Act or the Freedom of Information Act.

Extent53 boxes (38 series)

System of ArrangementPapers are arranged in 38 series based on Hirson's filing system and headings used in the second donation from Yael Hirson.

Finding aidsHandlist for series 1-2 available in the library. Descriptions to file and item level for series 1-11, 13 and part of 14 available on this electronic catalogue. A pdf of the hard-copy version of this catalogue is attached to this description. Later deposits have been listed. A pdf of this finding aid (reference ICS32 B) is also attached to this description.

Related files

University of Cape Town: Students' Representative Council papers on South African disturbances, 1976 (ICS81); There are also several other collections at the library given or deposited by Baruch Hirson, including the papers of H M Basner (ICS88); A L Saffery (ICS69); Josie Palmer (ICS57); and Neil Alcock (ICS3)

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