Discourse on identity : conversations with white South Africans

[摘要] The uncertainty and insecurity generated by social transformation within local andglobal contexts foregrounds concerns with identity. South African society has alegacy of an entrenched racial order which previously privileged those classified'white'. The assumed normality in past practices of such an institutionalised system ofracial privileging was challenged by a changing social, economic and politicalcontext. This dissertation examines the discourse of white middle-class SouthAfricans on this changing context. The study draws on the discourse of Afrikaansspeakingand English-speaking interviewees living in urban and rural communities.Their discourse reveals the extent to which these changes have affected the ways theytalk about themselves and others. There is a literature suggesting the significance ofrace in shaping people's identity has diminished within the post-apartheid context.This study considers the extent to which the evasion of race suggested in a literatureon whiteness is apparent in the discourse on the transformation of the society. Byconsidering this discourse a number of questions are raised on how intervieweesconceive their communities and what implication this holds for future racialintegration. What is meant by being South African is a related matter that receivesattention. The study draws the conclusion that in spite of heightened racial sensitivity,race remains a key factor in the identities of interviewees.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University