Overview

The precipitous rise and controversial fall of a formidable African leader. Samora Machel (1933-1986), the son of small-town farmers, led his people through a war against their Portuguese colonists and became the first president of the People's Republic of Mozambique. Machel's military successes against a colonial regime backed by South Africa, Rhodesia, the United States, and its NATO allies enhanced his reputation as a revolutionary hero to the oppressed people of Southern Africa. In 1986, during the country's civil war, Machel died in a plane crash under circumstances that remain uncertain. Allen and Barbara Isaacman lived through many of these changes in Mozambique and bring personal recollections together with archival research and interviews with others who knew Machel or participated in events of the revolutionary or post-revolutionary years.

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A comprehensive, up-to-date, expanded perspective on Samora Machel's political thought, his contributions to international socialism, and his leadership. The authors knew Machel, and their exceptional access enriches the text with accounts of his personal life and controversial death. -- Kathleen Sheldon, author of Pounders of Grain: A History of Women, Work, and Politics in Mozambique Lively, accessible, and ideal for undergraduate teaching and the wider reading public. -- Elizabeth Schmidt, author of Foreign Intervention in Africa after the Cold War: Sovereignty, Responsibility, and the War on Terror Acutely attuned to the politics of memory, the authors scrutinize a diverse-often conflicting-array of public and private archival sources, memoirs, scholarly literature, and oral sources to assess the life of this remarkable, complex African leader. -- Edward A. Alpers, author of East Africa and the Indian Ocean Essential reading for anyone trying to understand the impact of Samora Machel on Mozambique and the African continent. -- William Minter, editor of AfricaFocus Bulletin Allen the idealist and Barbara the sceptic joined forces to provide us with a portrait of a great African leader that is rich, loving, and incisive. -- Albie Sachs, from the Introduction

A comprehensive, up-to-date, expanded perspective on Samora Machel's political thought, his contributions to international socialism, and his leadership. The authors knew Machel, and their exceptional access enriches the text with accounts of his personal life and controversial death. -- Kathleen Sheldon, author of Pounders of Grain: A History of Women, Work, and Politics in Mozambique Lively, accessible, and ideal for undergraduate teaching and the wider reading public. -- Elizabeth Schmidt, author of Foreign Intervention in Africa after the Cold War: Sovereignty, Responsibility, and the War on Terror Acutely attuned to the politics of memory, the authors scrutinize a diverse-often conflicting-array of public and private archival sources, memoirs, scholarly literature, and oral sources to assess the life of this remarkable, complex African leader. -- Edward A. Alpers, author of East Africa and the Indian Ocean Essential reading for anyone trying to understand the impact of Samora Machel on Mozambique and the African continent. -- William Minter, editor of AfricaFocus Bulletin Allen the idealist and Barbara the sceptic joined forces to provide us with a portrait of a great African leader that is rich, loving, and incisive. -- Albie Sachs, from the foreword

“Allen the idealist and Barbara the sceptic joined forces to provide us with a portrait of a great African leader that is rich, loving, and incisive.” “An all-encompassing book that covers the major events in Mozambique’s modern history … recommended to all scholars of Mozambique.” * American Historical Review * “Essential reading for anyone trying to understand the impact of Samora Machel on Mozambique and the African continent.” “Acutely attuned to the politics of memory, the authors scrutinize a diverse—often conflicting—array of public and private archival sources, memoirs, scholarly literature, and oral sources to assess the life of this remarkable, complex African leader.” “Lively, accessible, and ideal for undergraduate teaching and the wider reading public."" “A comprehensive, up-to-date, expanded perspective on Samora Machel’s political thought, his contributions to international socialism, and his leadership. The authors knew Machel, and their exceptional access enriches the text with accounts of his personal life and controversial death.” “The authors have achieved a compelling narrative of how Samora shaped post-colonial events in Mozambique and how the leader’s personality and life trajectory were transformed by these same events. Students and all those readers interested in learning more about Mozambique’s recent history will find this book a great introductory read.” * Connections: A Journal for Historians and Area Specialists *

Author Information

Allen F. Isaacman is a Regents Professor of History at the University of Minnesota. He is the author of numerous books, including the co-authored (with Barbara Isaacman) Dams, Displacement, and the Delusion of Development: Cahora Bassa and its Legacies in Mozambique, 1965–2007, winner of the ASA Best Book Prize and the AHA Klein Prize in African History. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has won fellowships from the Guggenheim and MacArthur Foundations, among others. Barbara S. Isaacman is a retired attorney. She has coauthored numerous books with Allen F. Isaacman, including Mozambique’s Samora Machel: A Life Cut Short and the award-winning Dams, Displacement, and the Delusion of Development: Cahora Bassa and Its Legacies in Mozambique, 1965–2007. She also coauthored, with June Stephen, Mozambique—Women, the Law, and Agrarian Reform and has written numerous law review articles.

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