Social cohesion and reconciliation in South Africa

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Social cohesion and reconciliation have important roles to play in the development andtrajectory of conflict transformation in countries marked by past conflict. Given South Africa'sdivided past, based predominantly on racial divisions, conflict transformation between thecountry's racial groups is essential for ensuring future stability. Improved levels of socialcohesion are an indication of the quality of social relations, particularly measured in terms ofthe levels of social and political trust and reconciliation, understood as the distance in socialrelations, specifically as observed in terms of inter-racial contact and inter-racial prejudice;improved levels of social and political trust and reconciliation would ultimately contributetowards sustained conflict transformation. The notions of 'conflict transformation' and'political culture' provide the conceptual framework for the study of social cohesion andreconciliation, particularly in the South African context.Survey data from the South African Reconciliation Barometer (SARB) administered by theInstitute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) were utilised for this study. This study was able tohighlight how both social cohesion and reconciliation have changed, particularly in relation tothe different race groups of South Africa. Employing a longitudinal study enabled theobservation and analysis of the development of conflict transformation in South Africa throughvariables related to the dimensions of social cohesion and reconciliation from 2003 to 2013.The findings showed an increase in contact and social trust, particularly for Black and WhiteSouth Africans. Additionally, White South Africans' political trust increased significantly,whereas there was a decrease in political trust for Black South Africans. Levels of prejudicedeclined for White South Africans, whereas the levels of prejudice recorded for Black SouthAfricans were more mixed as they decreased and increased. For both Indian and Coloured SouthAfricans there was a decrease of acceptance of other race groups, albeit from a higher level ofacceptance compared to Black and White South Africans.Levels of social cohesion and reconciliation remain low and the need for sustained effortstowards conflict transformation is evident. Several factors have been highlighted ascontributing towards the low levels for both dimensions recorded. In particular, inequality, highcrime levels, national leadership challenges and corruption have all had an adverse effect forthe realisation of sustained conflict transformation in South Africa.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University