Introduction of the Bourne's Blacks and Whites in South Africa
The work, Blacks and Whites in South Africa: an account of the past treatment and present condition of South African Natives under British and Boer control is a moral plea to the citizens of the British empire of ages past that appeals to their sense of responsibility and implores them to hold their leadership accountable for the inhumane treatment of the natives of Transvaal sustained, he argues, by their passive consent. Transvaal is a region of South Africa that was contested by foreign interests and eventually brought under England's sphere of influence. Partitioned into three sections, it showcases the impacts of the European imperial presence on the Transvaal natives by detailing their state and culture prior to foreign influence, describing the interactions between the two groups, and examining the repercussions of their exposure to European influences.
The purpose of this account is to describe the document and analyze the content and significance of each individual section. His work is unusual because it is both sympathetic and hostile. From an ethical standpoint, the document is a call to arms in defense of the African people. It compels the British citizens to fulfill their civic duty and defend the rights of a people under their guardianship and sovereignty. Yet, the book also analyzes and judges the societies and cultures of the native peoples, from a dominant first world perspective that demonstrates considerable hostile bias. The paradoxical nature of the work is a testament to the past state of the empire, a global power divided by conflicting interests of material benefits and moral imperatives.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_the_provinces_of_South_Africa_1976-1994_with_the_Transvaal_highlighted.svg
