Darker Shade of Pale: why I wrote a book about my grandfather and how it changed my view of him

By Leslie Swartz, Professor, Stellenbosch University
Deborah Posel, Professor of Sociology, University of Cape Town

Deborah Posel, the founding director of the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research, an interdisciplinary research institute in the humanities and social sciences in South Africa, has published a new book, Darker Shade of Pale: Shtetl to Colony. Using a combination of personal memoir and historical inquiry, it retraces the early 20th century migration of Jewish people from the Russian Empire to colonial South Africa through one man’s life.

The book uncovers the…

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~	The rise of the autistic detective – why neurodivergent minds are at the heart of modern mysteries

~	Let’s go on an ESCAPADE – NASA’s small, low-cost orbiters will examine Mars’ atmosphere

~	‘Simulation theory’ brings an AI twist out of ‘The Matrix’ to ideas mystics and religious scholars have voiced for centuries

~	Why rural Maine may back Democrat Graham Platner’s populism in the Senate campaign − but not his party

~	Global companies are still committing to protect the climate – and they’re investing big money in clean tech

~	What’s a ‘black box’ warning? A pharmacologist explains how these labels protect patients

~	Black and Latino homeowners in Philly face discrimination when appraisers assess their properties

~	Space debris struck a Chinese spacecraft – how the incident could be a wake-up call for international collaboration

~	From post-partum depression to relationship woes: The importance of mental health after giving birth

~	We studied the walking habits of young men in Cape Town and London – and debunked a myth