The nature and function of utopianism in the Communist Party of South Africa, 1921-1950

[摘要] AbstractThe following study is concerned with the nature of utopianism in the Communist Party ofSouth Africa (CPSA). The presence of utopianism is explored over the whole of the Party’shistory from 1921 to 1950. The study is essentially a historical sociology piece, and is basedon the assumption that ideas are constitutive of social reality, and in particular, thatutopianism is an active ingredient in society.The CPSA’s utopian vision for a future South African emerged amidst the excitementgenerated amongst socialists worldwide by the success of the Bolshevik Revolution. Over theyears CPSA members drew on a range of traditions and identities that shaped the content andform of the CPSA’s utopianism. This utopianism was influenced by a modernist discourse ofMarxism, which was characterised by a strong confidence in the realisation of a socialistfuture. The CPSA’s vision was also shaped by the political landscape of South Africa, and bythe influence of the Communist International. The discussions of the CPSA’s form andcontent provide background to an analysis of the function of utopianism in the CPSA.An investigation of utopianism’s function in the Party informs the most significant finding ofthe research. Utopianism played a positive role in the CPSA: it was a critical tool, and amobilising and sustaining force. However, utopianism in the CPSA also revealed adestructive side. The negative role of utopianism in the CPSA is explored via two themes: the'Bolshevisation’ or purging of the CPSA in the 1930s under the directive of the CommunistInternational, and the CPSA’s often blind loyalty to the Soviet Union.The presence of utopianism in the CPSA is thus shown to have been ambiguous. Inconclusion it is suggested that utopianism is an ambiguous presence in society moregenerally, as it has the potential to function as both a positive and a negative force in society.This is an under explored topic in the literature on utopianism. The role that utopianism willplay in any given social group is context related, however. The study argues for a morecontextualised approach than is adopted in many of the seminal texts on utopia, tounderstanding the way in which utopianism is manifest and functions in society.The study sheds new light on the history of the Party, by revealing a previously unexploredstory in the CPSA’s history, and makes a contribution to sociology in providing a detailedexploration of the nature and function of utopianism.

[发布机构] University of the Witwatersrand