HSY3704 Semester 1 Assignment 5 2026
Due May 2026
Review the article below in 600-800 words (2-3 pages).
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298990556_The_master_narrative_of_South_
A
frica%27s_liberation_struggle_Remembering_and_forgetting_June_16_1976
Your review must have the title of the article, and introduction, body, and conclusion.
What does the article say about the June 16, 1976, and the liberation struggle in South
Review of “The Master Narrative of South Africa's Liberation Struggle:
Remembering and Forgetting June 16, 1976” by Gary Baines
Gary Baines’s article, published around the thirtieth anniversary of the Soweto uprising,
interrogates how post-apartheid South Africa has remembered and forgotten the events
of June 16, 1976. Rather than providing a chronological history of the uprising, Baines
critically examines what he terms the “master narrative” constructed by the ruling
African National Congress (ANC). He argues that the state has shaped a triumphalist
liberation story, embedding the Soweto uprising within a teleological tale that centres
the ANC while silencing competing voices and complicating individual memories. This
review summarises Baines’s argument, explains the historical significance of June 16,
and evaluates the article’s strengths and weaknesses regarding its treatment of student
and youth activism.
Due May 2026
Review the article below in 600-800 words (2-3 pages).
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298990556_The_master_narrative_of_South_
A
frica%27s_liberation_struggle_Remembering_and_forgetting_June_16_1976
Your review must have the title of the article, and introduction, body, and conclusion.
What does the article say about the June 16, 1976, and the liberation struggle in South
Review of “The Master Narrative of South Africa's Liberation Struggle:
Remembering and Forgetting June 16, 1976” by Gary Baines
Gary Baines’s article, published around the thirtieth anniversary of the Soweto uprising,
interrogates how post-apartheid South Africa has remembered and forgotten the events
of June 16, 1976. Rather than providing a chronological history of the uprising, Baines
critically examines what he terms the “master narrative” constructed by the ruling
African National Congress (ANC). He argues that the state has shaped a triumphalist
liberation story, embedding the Soweto uprising within a teleological tale that centres
the ANC while silencing competing voices and complicating individual memories. This
review summarises Baines’s argument, explains the historical significance of June 16,
and evaluates the article’s strengths and weaknesses regarding its treatment of student
and youth activism.
