Laduma!: Soccer, Politics and Society in South Africa, from Its Origins to 2010

How did South Africa, a former pariah of the world, come to host the 2010 World Cup? This book tries to answer this question by telling the story of football in South Africa and how it was transformed from a British colonial export into a central aspect of the black experience. An immensely informative and vital account, it explores the Africanisation of the game with the introduction of rituals and magic, and the emergence of distinctive playing styles. Using archival research, interviews, newspaper and magazine articles, adverts and photos, Laduma! chronicles the impact of indigenous sporting traditions such as stick fighting, and the power struggles between different football associations and white authorities. Soccer influenced class and generational divisions, shaped masculine identities, and served as a mobilising force for township and political organisations. This new, updated edition of Laduma! embodies sporting history at its best and will be of interest to ardent soccer fans as well as general readers and scholars seeking to inform themselves ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.