Cricket and Cape Society

Cricket and Cape Society is a critical and comprehensive historical examination of St Augustine Cricket Club, using it as a powerful lens to explore the intricate relationships between cricket, history, and South African society.

Many South African cricket histories and biographies have emerged over the years; however, no cricket historical narratives have examined the relationship between local cricket and international history. With extensive archival research, oral histories, and post-colonial theory, this book utilises a case study approach to explore the relationship between race, class, gender, national belonging and cricket in South Africa. Set against the backdrop of urbanisation, apartheid, and shifting social structures, it examines how the game reflected and resisted broader imperial and post-apartheid ideologies. The club’s story becomes a powerful microcosm of South Africa’s contested histories, offering fresh insights into how sport both shapes and is shaped by the socio-political landscape.

This book is ideal for scholars and students of history, sociology, sports studies, and African studies, as well as general readers interested in the cultural politics of sport.