In Search of the San by Paul Weinberg

In Search of the San by acclaimed South African documentary photographer Paul Weinberg is a powerful photographic exploration of the San peoples of Southern Africa and the profound social and cultural changes affecting their communities. Published in Johannesburg by The Porcupine Press in May 1997, this large-format photographic book combines Weinberg’s striking black-and-white photography with text documenting communities across the Southern African subcontinent.

Rather than presenting a romanticised image of the San as isolated hunter-gatherers living untouched by the modern world, Weinberg examines the much more complicated reality. Over more than a decade he visited San communities, documenting people who had been displaced from traditional lands, marginalised economically and socially, and faced with the difficult challenge of maintaining elements of their culture while adapting to rapidly changing circumstances.

The photographs form an important visual record of San life during the late twentieth century, capturing individuals, families, settlements, traditional practices and the landscapes within which these communities lived. The result is both a photographic study and a valuable piece of Southern African social documentation.

Particularly relevant to collectors of Africana, Southern African photography, anthropology, indigenous cultures and San/Bushman history, this 1997 publication has enduring documentary value. Weinberg’s photographic approach gives In Search of the San considerable appeal beyond purely academic audiences, making it equally suitable for collectors of South African photographic books and socially engaged documentary photography.

Published with funding from Norwegian Church Aid, In Search of the San is an increasingly interesting late-20th-century South African photographic publication and a worthwhile addition to an Africana collection.

Condition – Good

Good 1997 softcover with French flaps. The cover shows general handling and shelf wear, with slight damage, creasing and small losses along the edges, particularly around the lower edges and corners. Internally the book presents well overall. Please refer to the photographs for the extent of the cover wear.