Henry Trotter

Mr. Trotter s research will focus on the role of dockside interactions in recent South African History. While many historians offer a compelling view of the world of ports, sailors and the historic global network this movement of cultural, political and genetic material created, they largely ignore its role in contemporary history. During South Africa s restrictive and segregated years of apartheid, ports were potential hotbeds of subversion where ideas and cargo could escape state surveillance. Focusing on three South African ports, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth, Mr. Trotter will explore the social dynamics of South African port culture from WWII to the present.