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.

摘要

1964年1月，约翰内斯堡金山大学任命伊顿公学前校长罗伯特·伯利为客座教授。本分析探讨了伯利如何利用这一角色，以及他作为英国知名人物的相对稳固地位，公开反对种族隔离国家。他的教授职位发生在英南关系紧张的时期。在成为共和国并于 1961 年离开英联邦后，南非似乎越来越远离“英国世界”。为了对抗这种做法，伦敦试图利用文化外交，特别是学术和教育交流的形式，让未来的领导人对英国有更积极的看法。该分析表明，虽然 Birley 的教授职位独立于该政策，