The construction of apartheid, 1948-1961
Date
1988-08
Authors
Posel, Deborah
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
What was distinctive about Apartheid in the 1950s,as compared
with the 1960s? How was it constructed, and how did it change?
Much of the academic and journalistic literature on Apartheid
pre-'reform' depicts it as the product of a single, long-term
'grand plan', pursued systematically and unfalteringly by the
National Party (NP) since its accession to power in 1948. Such
views are challenged in this paper, which argues that although
the Apartheid state has certainly been characterised by a
singular degree of co-ordination, planning and coercion, the
construction of Apartheid has not been a wholly linear,
systematic or monolithic project. The state's uncertainties,
conflicts, weaknesses, changes and failures, although far less
visible than its cohesiveness and triumphs, have also made their
mark on the construction of Apartheid. Moreover, some (but
obviously not all) of the premises and objectives of Apartheid
changed in fundamental ways at the onset of the 1960s. (The
presentation of these arguments is very brief and schematic,
being a summary of large chunks of my doctoral thesis.)
Description
African Studies Seminar series. Paper presented August 1988
Keywords
Apartheid. South Africa, South Africa. Politics and government, South Africa. Race relations