South African keywords: the uses & abuses of political concepts

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Book

Title:	South African keywords: the uses & abuses of political concepts
Editors:	Boonzaier, Emile Sharp, John S.
Year:	1988
Pages:	197
Language:	English
City of publisher:	Cape Town
Publisher:	David Philip
ISBN:	0864861001
Geographic term:	South Africa
Subjects:	epistemology political ideologies politics
Abstract:	A number of core concepts and the ideas associated with them have gained widespread currency as a means of interpreting South African society. Politicians, the media and the public have relied heavily on a range of ideas such as 'race', 'tribe', 'culture', 'ethnic group' and 'population group' to convey a picture of South Africa's 'inescapable realities'. More recently, 'first world' and 'third world' and 'informal sector' have been added to this discourse of domination. These terms are not merely descriptive labels but are used to construct versions of social reality that reflect the interests, knowledge and beliefs of the observers. The notions of 'community', 'tradition' and 'development' are also clearly part of this discourse, while such apparently objective categories as 'men', 'women' and 'children' are also socially and culturally constructed realities with significant implications for social relationships and hierarchies. The present book is a critical examination of these terms, their use and meaning in the South African context. Contributors: J. Sharp, R. Thornton, Mamphela Ramphele, A. Spiegel, E. Boonzaier, P. Skalnik, M. West, A. Fischer, K. van der Waal, S. Burman.