Tradition and Transition in Southern Africa

Philip Mayer, author of Townsmen and Tribesmen , is one of the most outstanding anthropologists to have worked in South Africa. To honour his work and that of his wife Iona (his most valued academic collaborator), this fiftieth issue of African Studies comprises twelve articles from some of South Africa's leading academics. Among them is the last article to have been written by Dr David Webster before his assassination. All the articles provide some insight into the ways in which people respond to changes in their social environment. In particular, they examine the importance of tradition for those coping with the trauma of social transition. This theme has been central to the work of the Mayers and its topicality, not only in South Africa, means that it is the focus of much contemporary anthropological attention.