Major patterns of group interaction in South African society
Date
1974-03
Authors
Savage, Michael
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Abstract
Although recent historians have stated "the central theme
of South African history is interaction between peoples of
diverse origins, languages, technologies, Ideologies and social
systems, meeting on South African soil", scant attention has
been paid to such interaction by social scientists. Instead,
most work in such disciplines has been segmentary, and focuses
on the Internal arrangements or attitudes of one group rather
than on the relationships that that group has to other groups
or to the wider society. This in itself may be one reflection
of the polarities of the society that have influenced the pattern
of social research itself. The result however, is that outside
of the work of historians, there has been insufficient study of
the consequences of interaction between the different groups in
the population. Yet, such interaction is one vital key to an
understanding of the social structure.
In this paper, an attempt will be made to overview the most
important patterns of group interaction across the lines -
( political, ethnic, economic and class - that so clearly demarcate
the major groups in South African society. The primary focus in
this exploration of the contact and cleavages between such groups
will be the present, with some attempt to indicate emerging trends.
Description
African Studies Seminar series. Paper presented March 1974
Keywords
South Africa. Race relations, South Africa. Social conditions, South Africa. Politics and government