Lawrence Hamilton’s Are South Africans Free? Launched at Love Books

by Jean on May 29th, 2014

Lawrence Hamilton’s Are South Africans Free? was launched at Love Books on Tuesday evening with a fascinating discussion and a lovely spread of snacks, soup and Joostenburg wine for the many guests.

Excited family, friends, fans, colleagues and students discussed political theories while waiting for the discussion to start. After settling the crowd, Kate Rogan introduced author and professor Lawrence Hamilton and his interviewer, Laurence Piper. Hamilton, who works at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), stood for the duration of the interview to feel more at home when addressing the crowd, as any lecturer would. He revealed that in the last five years he’s been writing not just Are South Africans Free? but also Power is Freedom which will be launched in July. He also revealed later in conversation that he would soon be leaving UJ for Wits University.

During the interview, Piper and Hamilton had fun changing political party hats and used examples from home and abroad to explain the concepts they were discussing. The book’s title and most pertinent question, “Are South Africans Free?”, was answered with a resounding “no”, followed by a solid argument and a definition of freedom. Hamilton hopes his book, relevant to current public concerns, will make political theory accessible to the masses and address the “disjuncture between a very ideal form of constitutional right and the reality on the ground”.

The Q&A was then opened to the guests and followed by a book signing. Being a political theory professor at UJ, an affiliated lecturer in political theory in the department of politics with international studies at Cambridge University in the UK and an elected member of the academy of science of South Africa, Hamilton’s book promises to be an interesting read with a transformative view.

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Kirsty Mitchell tweeted live from the event using the hashtag #livebooks:

#livebooks Getting ready for the Hamilton Piper conversation. Such an interesting topic. #SAFree can't wait to start pic.twitter.com/lBaPb0Ze3v

— Book Tattler (@BookTattler) May 27, 2014

Space in @LoveBooksJozi is really full everywhere. it's awesome to see how many book lovers there are! #livebooks pic.twitter.com/cewxoRp5yn

— Book Tattler (@BookTattler) May 27, 2014

#livebooks #SAFree Hamilton and Piper are about to start. Hamilton is introducing the book

— Book Tattler (@BookTattler) May 27, 2014

Hamilton's a political theorist by training but this book is made with people like me in mind. #livebooks #SAFree

— Book Tattler (@BookTattler) May 27, 2014

#livebooks #SAFree Piper "a lot of the book is about reclaiming our power" The title, Are SAns Free? Piper says can be answered "no"

— Book Tattler (@BookTattler) May 27, 2014

#livebooks #SAFree the argument of this book is for greater power to the people. There are deep (almost unrecognizable) roots in marxism.

— Book Tattler (@BookTattler) May 27, 2014

#livebooks #SAFree book is aimed at the fact that we've had a political revoltion but a very insignificant change in the rest of society.

— Book Tattler (@BookTattler) May 27, 2014

#livebooks #SAFree in a sense there isn't a freedom fighter or terrorist. We need to look at co-optation.

— Book Tattler (@BookTattler) May 27, 2014

#livebooks #SAFree Do you consider freedom as an individual or collective?

— Book Tattler (@BookTattler) May 27, 2014

#livebooks #SAFree freedom is power. (he's said so much more) There are 4 types of freedom.

— Book Tattler (@BookTattler) May 27, 2014

#livebooks #SAFree he suggests alltogether these levels are dimensions of freedom is power.

— Book Tattler (@BookTattler) May 27, 2014

#livebooks #SAFree old friends, loving family and a few loyal colleagues mingling and milling about pic.twitter.com/T3NXhOrfLl

— Book Tattler (@BookTattler) May 27, 2014