INVITE | Book Launch | Publishing from the South : A Century of Wits University Press | 18 Nov | 17:30 for 18:00 | Love Books
Wits University Press, WiSER and Love Books invite you to the launch of
Publishing from the South
A Century of Wits University Press
Edited by Sarah Nuttall and Isabel Hofmeyr
Speakers: Kopano Ratele (Stellenbosch University), Siphiwo Mahala (University of Johannesburg) and Srila Roy (Wits University)
In 2022, Wits University Press marked its centenary, making it the oldest, most established university press in sub-Saharan Africa. While in part modelled on scholarly publishers from the global North, it had to contend with the constraints of working under global South conditions: marginalisation within the University, budgetary limitations, small local markets, unequal access to international sales channels and eh privileging of English language publishing over indigenous languages. But there were also opportunities and this volume explores what the Press has achieved – and what its modes of reinvention might look like. This multi-voiced book examines the Press’s publishing activities over a century, fromdocumenting its evolution through book covers to publishing leading black intellectuals and writers of the early twentieth century despite a history of racial marginalisation to therole of women in publishing and the space afforded to women’s writing on the Press’s list. It also includes short publishing or book biographies by contemporary authors, either published by WUP or about to be published. Three of these authors are the speakers at the vent.
This collection of essays brings together the craft, the art, the techniques, the commerce, thepassion and, quite simply, the love of books and the histories of their making. Not only are these essays a delight to read, they are also evidence that intellectual work of a high calibre has been, and continues to be, alive and well in the global South – Urvashi Butalia, Zubaan Publishers, India
This book is more than the story of Wits University Press; it impacts our understanding of African knowledge production in the twentieth century and beyond. In capturing the complex evolution of Wits Press, the collection is both informative and sobering, while offering valuable lessons on how to build and sustain institutions that matter – Ainehi Edoro, Editor-in Chief of Brittle Paper
An engaging volume that explores the evolution of the oldest scholarly press in Southern Africa from its Anglophone colonial origins to a highly respected global South publishing house… It is a must-read for readers across academe and the media landscape, as well as anyone passionate about the written word – Zakes Mda, South African writer
Please join us for a substantive and celebratory end-of-year occasion.
Drinks and snacks will be served.
RSVP: kate@lovebooks.co.za
Monday, 18th November 2024
17:30 for 18:00
Love Books, The Bamboo Lifestyle Centre,
53 Rustenburg Road, Melville, Johannesburg