Philip Bonner

Philip Lewis Bonner (31 March 1945 – 24 September 2017) was a historian of South Africa. He was an Emeritus Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand with a focus on labour and urban history.

Academic career Bonner was hired in 1971 in the history department of the University of the Witwatersrand to establish African history as a scholarly field. His early work was concerned with the Swazi Kingdom in the nineteenth century, In 1977, following the Soweto uprising, Bonner was involved in the founding of the History Workshop at the University of the Witwatersrand, and was its chair from 1987–2012. and emphasised the use of oral testimonies. He was chair of the group from 1987 until 2012. Between 1998 and 2003, he was head of the History Department at Witwatersrand.

Trade union activism In addition to his academic activities, Bonner was involved in worker education and trade unions, In the 1980s, he served as the education officer for the Federation of South African Trade Unions.

Major publications