Fatima Meer: a free mind

Fatima Meer was an intellectual, academic, writer and activist - a tireless fighter for social justice and human rights. Her intellectual work sought to intertwine place, identity, and ethical commitment. In 1994 Fatima declined a parliamentary seat due to her preference to work in the non-governmental sector. She did however serve the ANC government in several capacities. In 2010, at the age of 81, Fatima Meer died after a stroke. In her account of Fatima Meer, author Shireen Hassim deftly weaves a narrative in which Meer's distinctive individuality as an academic and activist unfolds. In particular, the reader comes to understand how Meer's sense of a common humanity critically informed her stance in the world. Fatima Meer is another addition to the HSRC Press Voices of Liberation series, and the first book in the series that showcases an Indian woman who uniquely straddled the worlds of academia and activism.