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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Friends and Family: Social Cohesion in South Africa
Authors:Chipkin, IvorISNI
Ngqulunga, Bongani
Year:2008
Periodical:Journal of Southern African Studies
Volume:34
Issue:1
Period:March
Pages:61-76
Language:English
Geographic term:South Africa
Subjects:social integration
social relations
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
Ethnic and Race Relations
Politics and Government
External link:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03057070701832882
Abstract:This article considers the notion of social cohesion and reviews the degree to which South Africa after apartheid coheres as a society. The authors consider social cohesion as an affective bond between citizens. Therefore the assessment must do more than review the political interests, alliances, ideology and discourses that give stability to the public domain. The article also examines those institutions and relations that function chiefly on the basis of affect: friendships, relationships and the family. In this context, 'social capital' theory has significant appeal, despite its problems, by examining social cohesion in relation to the performance of State institutions. It suggests that a crisis in the social fabric will be felt, not so much in the political arena, but more broadly in the field of development. Employing this idea, the authors argue that the key measure of social cohesion in South Africa is the function of State bodies, rather than the stability of the political arena. Notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]
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