I'm afraid that it is a long time since I sent out a newsletter, if I can call it that. I'm aware that this site needs to be more interactive and I will try to get that set up this year.

However, this mailing is to say that one item listed in the reading list is now available online. This is Helen Dampier's thesis on the women's testimonies on the camps. Helen Dampier is a South African who did her master's degree at Rhodes University. She is an excellent historian with a very good mind. However, this thesis will not be to everyone's taste and, indeed, I'm sure that it will make some people very angry. If you read it, I ask you to bear in mind that a thesis is partly an intellectual exercise. Academics in training need to learn about managing large bodies of material, about the theory behind their arguments, about constructing an argument. One may not agree with the argument, and in this case I don't quite often, but one should respect the quality and try to understand what the author is saying.

Anyway, here is the URL; https://theses.ncl.ac.uk/dspace/bitstream/10443/228/1/dampier05.pdf

I'll try to get the link listed with the entry on the website as well, but it may take a little time.

Elizabeth
19 February 2014