Leswin Laubscher

A collection of Robert Sobukwe's political writings, speeches and court testimonies supplemented by an account of his years in Kimberley following release from Robben Island. There are several accounts of Robert Sobukwe's courageous role in contesting South Africa's system of apartheid and of his incarceration on Robben Island after the Anti-Pass Campaign that led to the tragic events of Sharpeville in March 1960. Far less attention has been paid to the years the leader of the Pan-Africanist Congress spent in Kimberley, between 1969–1978, after his release from the Island. Darkest Before Dawn, the follow-up to Lie on Your Wounds: The Prison Correspondence of Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, captures the story of the post-prison years of Sobukwe's life. This latest compilation complete with a biographical narrative by the editors and enriched with images from Sobukwe's life in this period of his life demonstrates the many challenges Sobukwe faced as well as his continued political resolve to fight for an end to apartheid. This is captured in the many meetings he had in spite of banning orders and letters he exchanged with friends and admirers, including the celebrated novelist Bessie Head whose letters to Sobukwe are published here for the first time. Sobukwe continued to meet political allies, such as Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko, he pursued a legal career and played host to international visitors. The portrait of Sobukwe that emerges is that of a highly ethical man, a figure of dignity and fortitude, and a wise elder whose commitment to the people of Africa and to the vision of Pan-Africanism who remained undeterred, despite his being forced to live, in his final years, under near impossible conditions. To do justice to Sobukwe's legacy, his intellectual contribution and his unfailing desire to pursue liberation for the African people, we need to view his biography against the backdrop of his words. Darkest Before Dawn includes a definitive collection of his political writings, speeches, unpublished court testimonies, interviews with Gail Gerhart and Joe Thloloe, and expansive annotations by the compilers. The book ends with a reflective essay which highlights the ongoing pertinence of Sobukwe's legacy.

A collection of Robert Sobukwe's political writings, speeches and court testimonies supplemented by an account of his years in Kimberley following release from Robben Island. There are several accounts of Robert Sobukwe's courageous role in contesting South Africa's system of apartheid and of his incarceration on Robben Island after the Anti-Pass Campaign that led to the tragic events of Sharpeville in March 1960. Far less attention has been paid to the years the leader of the Pan-Africanist Congress spent in Kimberley, between 1969–1978, after his release from the Island. Darkest Before Dawn, the follow-up to Lie on Your Wounds: The Prison Correspondence of Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, captures the story of the post-prison years of Sobukwe's life. This latest compilation complete with a biographical narrative by the editors and enriched with images from Sobukwe's life in this period of his life demonstrates the many challenges Sobukwe faced as well as his continued political resolve to fight for an end to apartheid. This is captured in the many meetings he had in spite of banning orders and letters he exchanged with friends and admirers, including the celebrated novelist Bessie Head whose letters to Sobukwe are published here for the first time. Sobukwe continued to meet political allies, such as Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko, he pursued a legal career and played host to international visitors. The portrait of Sobukwe that emerges is that of a highly ethical man, a figure of dignity and fortitude, and a wise elder whose commitment to the people of Africa and to the vision of Pan-Africanism who remained undeterred, despite his being forced to live, in his final years, under near impossible conditions. To do justice to Sobukwe's legacy, his intellectual contribution and his unfailing desire to pursue liberation for the African people, we need to view his biography against the backdrop of his words. Darkest Before Dawn includes a definitive collection of his political writings, speeches, unpublished court testimonies, interviews with Gail Gerhart and Joe Thloloe, and expansive annotations by the compilers. The book ends with a reflective essay which highlights the ongoing pertinence of Sobukwe's legacy.

Levinas for Psychologists provides a rigorous, yet accessible, examination of Emmanuel Levinas’s philosophy and its implications for psychology and the human and social sciences. Comprehensive in scope, this book traces Levinas’s thought across the arc of his oeuvre, from the earliest works to the last interviews and essays. Laubscher provides numerous examples of how Levinas’s thought challenges current clinical and psychotherapeutic work, psychological theory, social science research, and social theory but also offers promising alternatives. Such alternative ways to think and practice psychology are richly illuminated by accessible examples from therapy, research, and the social everyday. The volume makes Levinas’s dense and demanding philosophical language comprehensible and accessible, without losing the radical, profound, and poetic qualities of the original. Issues of justice, racism, and nature are addressed throughout, and these insights and conclusions are placed within a contemporary context. This book is essential reading for psychologists, philosophers, and anyone interested in the legacy of Levinas’s work.

Levinas for Psychologists provides a rigorous, yet accessible, examination of Emmanuel Levinas’s philosophy and its implications for psychology and the human and social sciences. Comprehensive in scope, this book traces Levinas’s thought across the arc of his oeuvre, from the earliest works to the last interviews and essays. Laubscher provides numerous examples of how Levinas’s thought challenges current clinical and psychotherapeutic work, psychological theory, social science research, and social theory but also offers promising alternatives. Such alternative ways to think and practice psychology are richly illuminated by accessible examples from therapy, research, and the social everyday. The volume makes Levinas’s dense and demanding philosophical language comprehensible and accessible, without losing the radical, profound, and poetic qualities of the original. Issues of justice, racism, and nature are addressed throughout, and these insights and conclusions are placed within a contemporary context. This book is essential reading for psychologists, philosophers, and anyone interested in the legacy of Levinas’s work.

Introduction to Psychology as a Human Science gathers together the disparate pieces of the story of psychology as a human science and places this story into the broader history of science in general. The book explains how psychology as a human science is linked to, but distinctly different from, psychology as a natural science.Students first learn how science, knowledge, and truth have been framed since antiquity. Once they have become familiar with these concepts, they are ready to examine the development of science through the ages and see how psychology drew from this development. They study the approaches of Freud and psychoanalysis, as well as existential, humanistic, and transpersonal psychology. The book also includes a chapter on social constructionism, and concludes by revisiting some of its framing questions, such as how best to study human beings, and what it may mean to characterize psychology as a science. Introduction to Psychology as a Human Science responds to three linked questions. How does each of the approaches view human beings? What are the scientific assumptions of each approach, given their view of human beings? What are the scientific methods and procedures through which each approach gathers knowledge? Intelligent and thought-provoking, the text is a unique choice for introductory psychology courses including those that emphasize research methods.

"Introduction to Psychology as a Human Science gathers together the disparate pieces of the story of psychology as a human science and places this story into the broader history of science in general. The book explains how psychology as a human science is linked to, but distinctly different from, psychology as a natural science. Students first learn how science, knowledge, and truth have been framed since antiquity. Once they have become familiar with these concepts, they are ready to examine the development of science through the ages and see how psychology drew from this development. They study the approaches of Freud and psychoanalysis, as well as existential, humanistic, and transpersonal psychology. The book also includes a chapter on social constructionism, and concludes by revisiting some of its framing questions, such as how best to study human beings, and what it may mean to characterize psychology as a science. Introduction to Psychology as a Human Science responds to three linked questions. How does each of the approaches view human beings? What are the scientific assumptions of each approach, given their view of human beings? What are the scientific methods and procedures through which each approach gathers knowledge? Intelligent and thought-provoking, the text is a unique choice for introductory psychology courses including those that emphasize research methods. Leswin Laubscher is an associate professor and head of the department of psychology in the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts at Duquesne University. He earned his Ph.D. in counseling psychology at Northwestern University and has taught, conducted research, and/or practiced as a psychologist in the United States, Italy, and South Africa. Dr. Laubscher's recent research and writing have explored the intersection of culture and psychology and the importance of the philosophies of Jacques Derrida and Emmanuel Levinas for psychology. He is also a principal researcher in an international study that seeks to archive and analyze memories of Apartheid experiences."