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Philip Bonner

1945 – 2017

Historian of South Africa

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About Philip Bonner

Lived 1945 – 2017 (aged 72). Philip Bonner was a British historian.

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

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Employers
University of the Witwatersrand
Also known as
P. L. Bonner, Philip Lewis Bonner

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Philip Bonner's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Philip Bonner?

Historian of South Africa (1945-2017)

When was Philip Bonner born?

Philip Bonner was born on 31 March 1945 in Leeds.

When did Philip Bonner die?

Philip Bonner died on 24 September 2017.

What was Philip Bonner's occupation?

Philip Bonner was a historian.

What nationality was Philip Bonner?

Philip Bonner was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Philip Bonner

· Wikidata: Q65666391

· DBpedia: Philip Bonner

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Philip Bonner. https://biography.guide/philip-bonner/

MLA: "Philip Bonner." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/philip-bonner/.

Chicago: "Philip Bonner." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/philip-bonner/.

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