A “Bit of A Politician” on A “Tough Assignment”: Robert Birley’s Visiting Professorship at the University of Witwatersrand, 1964 – 1967

Abstract

ABSTRACT In January 1964, the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, appointed Robert Birley, former headmaster of Eton College, as a visiting professor. This analysis examines how Birley used this role, and his relatively secure position as a high-profile British figure, to speak out against the apartheid state. His professorship took place during a time of strained Anglo-South African relations; having become a republic and left the Commonwealth in 1961, South Africa appeared to be slipping ever further from the ‘British world’. To combat this course, London attempted to use cultural diplomacy, particularly in the form of academic and educational exchanges, to imbue future leaders with a more positive view of Britain. This analysis demonstrates that whilst Birley’s professorship was independent from this policy, he was in regular contact with British officials, and his actions correlated with their aims.