Writing from Robben Island

Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years, is recognized globally as a symbol of the fight against injustice and oppression. However, its dominant narrative has emerged through contestation, often silencing alternative interpretations of its history and significance. Beyond its symbolic role, the material conditions of prison life on Robben Island played a crucial part in shaping post-apartheid South Africa's narrative of nation-building, democracy, and citizenship. This study examines prison memoirs to argue that the island's institutional characteristics as a prison space subtend the influential story of South Africa's struggle against racial oppression and its transition to democracy.

Roux, D. (2020). Writing from Robben Island. Prison Writing and the Literary World, 93–109. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003105787-9