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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:The limitations of a marxist functional explanation of apartheid
Author:Nel, P.ISNI
Year:1987
Periodical:Politikon: South African Journal of Political Studies
Volume:14
Issue:2
Pages:3-15
Language:English
Geographic term:South Africa
Subjects:Marxism
apartheid
External link:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02589348708704879
Abstract:Starting from the assumption that it is relatively fruitless to speculate on the social-scientific adequacy of functional explanations per se, the author proceeds to consider the adequacy of a specific instance of functional explanation. Harold Wolpe's account of apartheid's benefits for capitalist accumulation in South Africa is reconstructed as not only an adumbration of the nature of apartheid, but also an explanation of the origin and/or persistence of this set of policies. By elaborating upon two sets of criticism generally levelled against functional explanations, Wolpe's account is shown to be of very limited value. Its usefulness can be improved if Wolpe rephrases his argument as a propensity-consequence account, and identifies and explains the mechanism through which apartheid's benefits reinforce this policy. Both courses of action, however, point towards intentional-causal statements as the more appropriate explanatory strategy to be employed. Bibliogr., notes, ref.
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