This article analyzes the series of histories that intersect with the political engagement of an activist from the Landless Peoples Movement in contemporary South Africa. Based on a study of the relation between this leader and the movement, campaign issues and other dimensions of collective life, I discuss some of the challenges facing the social sciences when they seek to associate individuals with social processes. Through this analysis I look to call attention to the limits of traditional studies of political activists and the need for the the social sciences to incorporate plural perspectives into any analysis of collective action.
Biographies; Social Movements; Activists; South Africa; Landless