PLSC 443b South African Politics in Comparative Perspective (Spring 2002)
Political Science 443b
South African Politics in Comparative Perspective
Ian Shapiro and Jeremy Seekings
Spring , 2002
Tuesdays 3:30-5:20 WLH 002
T his seminar deals with the evolution of South African politics since the heyday of Apartheid, viewed in a comparative perspective. Topics covered include Apartheid and its demise, the transition negotiations, the constitutional settlement, the structure and operation of the political system, parties and elections, the Truth and Reconciliation commission, the politics of redistribution and other aspects of South African political economy.
Students will be expected to write a substantial (15 to 20 page) paper over the course of the semester, which could be an analysis of existing literature or a research oriented paper. We expect all required readings to be read, as well as suggested readings in the area of student’s paper topic. A one to two page paper prospectus must be discussed with at least one of the instructors and submitted for approval by Friday March 1. The instructors may suggest additional readings once paper topics have been selected. There will be a 24 hour take-home exam.
Students enrolled in the course will be expected to attend all classes and to initiate the discussion of at least three readings with a five minute Introduction as assigned by the instructors.
Grade: 60 percent paper; 40 percent final.
Books: Book Haven, York Street and on reserve at CCL
Reader: Tyco copy. Two copies on reserve at CCL
In addition to readings students might want to make use of the following websites (and the links they provide to other sites):
www.idasa.org.za IDASA is a leading NGO in South Africa
www.mg.co.za The Mail and Guardian is the leading critical newspaper.
http://newslink.org/nonusf.html A link to other African newspapers
www.parliament.org.za South African Parliament web site
And the websites of the major political parties:
1. January 15: Introductory and housekeeping session
2. January 22: Politics and Society Under Apartheid
For many years scholarship on apartheid was divided between one school who understood it to be driven by a combination of Afrikaner nationalism and racism among white voters, and a Marxist school who saw it as functional to the development of capitalism. The former emphasised racial discrimination (and the ways in which this inhibited economic growth); the latter emphasised the connivance of mining capitalists (especially) in the construction of policies such as influx control, and noted that economic growth was rapid during the hey-day of apartheid in the 1960s. More recent studies have sought to draw on both approaches, paying attention to the contradictions of ‘apartheid’ as well as its often unintended consequences.
Required reading
Beinart, William (1994), Twentieth Century South Africa (Oxford: Oxford U.P.). (Bookhaven, Reserve)
Further reading
Glaser, Daryl (2001), Politics and Society in South Africa (London: Sage), chapters 1 to 4.
O’Meara, Dan (1996), Forty Lost Years: The Apartheid State and the Politics of the National Party, 1948-1994 (Athens OH: Ohio U.P.), chapters 1 to 18. (Reserve)
Norval, Aletta (1996), Deconstructing Apartheid Discourse (London: Verso).
Robinson, Jennifer (1995), The Power of Apartheid (London: Heinemann).
Mandela, Nelson (1994), Long Walk to Freedom (Macdonald Purnell) or
Sampson, Anthony (1999), Mandela: The Authorized Biography (London: HarperCollins), chapters 1 to 22. (Bookhaven, Reserve)
Seekings, Jeremy and Nicoli Nattrass (forthcoming), From Race to Class: Inequality, Unemployment and the Social Structure in South Africa (Cape Town: David Philip), chapters 2 to 5. (Reserve).
3. January 29: The Demise of Apartheid
What brought apartheid to an end? Did it self-destruct? How did internal political protest combine with international sanctions and diplomacy, demographic, social and economic pressures, and dissent within white elites? Writers tend to emphasise those factors with which they are most familiar: thus international relations specialists emphasise international factors, political sociologists emphasise internal resistance, political economists emphasise economic factors, and so on. Another way of approaching these issues is to focus on the National Party. Could it have acted in ways that would have extended the duration of apartheid, or even saved apartheid from destruction?
Required reading
Nattrass, Nicoli (1998), ‘Economic Factors and the Transition to Democracy in South Africa’, paper presented at Workshop on Comparing Democratisation in Nigeria and South Africa, UCT (May). (Reader)
Jung, Courtney (2000), ‘The Politics of Identity in South Africa’s Transition to Democracy’, revised version of paper presented at Workshop on Comparing Democratisation in Nigeria and South Africa, UCT (May). (Reader)
Seekings, Jeremy (1998), ‘Popular Movements and Democratisation in South Africa’, paper presented at Workshop on Comparing Democratisation in Nigeria and South Africa, UCT (May). (Reader)
Barber, James (2000), ‘South Africa’s Political Miracle: The International Dimension’, South African Journal of International Affairs 7,1 (Summer), pp.51-71. (Reader)
Giliomee, Herman (1995), ‘Democratization in South Africa’, Political Science Quarterly 110,1: 83-104. (Reader)
Further reading
O’Meara, Dan (1996), Forty Lost Years: The Apartheid State and the Politics of the National Party, 1948-1994 (Athens, OH: Ohio U.P.), chapters 19 to 22. (Reserve)
Price, Robert (1991), The Apartheid State in Crisis: Political Transformation in South Africa, 1975-1990 (Oxford: Oxford U.P.).
Seekings, Jeremy (2000), The UDF: A History of the United Democratic Front in South Africa, 1983-1991 (Athens: Ohio U.P.).
Adler, Glenn and Eddie Webster (1995), ‘Challenging Transition Theory: The Labour Movement, Radical Reform and the Transition to Democracy in South Africa’, Politics and Society, 23,1.
Wood, Elizabeth (2000), Forging Democracy from Below: Insurgent Transitions in South Africa and El Salvador (New York: Cambridge U.P.), chapters 5 to 7. (Reserve)
Sampson, Anthony (1999), Mandela: The Authorized Biography (London: HarperCollins), chapters 23 to 27. (Bookhaven, Reserve)
Guelke, Adrian (1999), South Africa in Transition: The Misunderstood Miracle (London: I.B.Tauris). (Reserve)
Sparks, Alastair (1994), Tomorrow is Another Country (Sandton: Struik), chapters 1 to 9
Waldmeir, Patti (1997), Anatomy of a Miracle (Viking), chapters 3 to 7.
Crawford, Neta and Audie Klotze (eds, 1999), How Sanctions Work: Lessons from South Africa (London: Macmillan and New York: St Martin’s Press)
Massie, Robert (1997), Loosing the Bonds: the United States and South Africa in the Apartheid Years (New York: ?).
4. February 5: The Transition
The terms of the transition to democracy often determine key aspects of post-transition politics. How and why was the transitional settlement achieved? The transition is often analysed as a pact. What compromises were struck in this pact? What concessions did each player make? Why? What muscle did each player have?
Required reading
Sisk, Timothy (1995), Democratization in South Africa (Princeton U.P.), introduction and chapter 1. (Reserve, Reader)
Jung, Courtney and Ian Shapiro (1995), ‘South Africa’s Negotiated Transition: Democracy, Opposition and the New Constitutional Order’, Politics and Society 23,3 (Sept), pp.269-308. (Reader)
Herbst, Jeff (1997-98), ‘Prospects for Elite-Driven Democracy in South Africa’, Political Science Quarterly 112,4: 595-615. (Reader)
McDonald, Michael (1994), ‘Transition by the Numbers?’, unpublished paper. (Reader)
Further reading
Sisk, Timothy (1995), Democratization in South Africa (Princeton U.P.), chapters 2 to 8. (Reserve)
Friedman, Steven (ed, 1993), The Long Journey: South Africa’s Quest for a Negotiated Settlement (Johannesburg: Ravan).
Atkinson, Doreen and Steven Friedman (eds, 1994), The Small Miracle: South Africa’s Negotiated Settlement (Johannesburg; Ravan).
Davenport, Rodney (1998), The Transfer of Power in South Africa (Cape Town: David Philip) (Reserve)
Sparks, Alastair (1994), Tomorrow is Another Country (Sandton: Struik), chapters 10 to 15
Waldmeir, Patti (1997), Anatomy of a Miracle (Viking), chapters 8 to 14.
Kabemba, Claude and Chris Landsberg (1998), ‘Working to a Foreign Text: International Democratisation in South Africa’, paper presented at Workshop on Comparing Experiences of Democratisation in Nigeria and South Africa, UCT, June.
Mattes, Robert (1994), chapter on public opinion in Andrew Reynolds (ed), Election ’94 South Africa (New York: St Martin’s Press).
Klug, Heinz (2000), Constituting Democracy: Law, Globalism and South Africa’s Political Reconstruction (Cambridge: Cambridge U.P.): chapters 4 and 5.
5. February 12: Reckoning with the Past: the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), established as part of the transitional agreement, has been praised internationally as a model of how to reckon with a bitter and bloody past. Yet it has also been widely criticised. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the ways in which the TRC has reckoned with the past?
Required reading
Ellis, Stephen (2000), ‘Review Essay: The TRC Reports’, Transformation 42: 57-72. (Reader)
Nattrass, Nicoli (1999), ‘The Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Business and Apartheid: A Critical Evaluation’, African Affairs 98, 392 (July): 373-391. (Reader)
Asmal, Kader, Louise Asmal and Ronald Suresh Roberts (1996), Reconciliation Through Truth: A Reckoning of Apartheid’s Criminal Governance (Cape Town: David Philip), chapter 14, pp.143-67. (Reader)
James, Wilmot and Linda van der Vijver (eds, 2000), After the TRC: Reflections on Truth and Reconciliation (Athens OH: Ohio U.P.): chapters by Mamdani (‘A Diminished Truth?’), Bundy, Adam and Adam. (Reserve)
Gibson, James L. (2001), ‘Does Truth Lead to Reconciliation? Testing the Causal Assumptions of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Process,’ revised version of paper presented at 2001 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, August. (Reader)
Dyzenhaus, David (2000), ‘Survey Article: Justifying the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’, The Journal of Political Philosophy 8, 4 (December): 470-496. (Reader)
Dyzenhaus, David. “‘With the Benefits of Hindsight”: Dilemmas of Legality in the Face of Injustice’. (Reader)
Further reading
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa (1998), Report, 4 volumes.
Dyzenhaus, David (1998), Truth, Reconciliation and the Apartheid Legal Order (Cape Town: Juta). (Reserve)
Villa-Vicencio, Charles and Wilhelm Verwoerd (eds, 2000), Looking Back, Reading Forward: Reflections on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa (Athens OH: Ohio U.P.).
Asmal, Kader, Louise Asmal and Ronald Suresh Roberts (1996), Reconciliation Through Truth: A Reckoning of Apartheid’s Criminal Governance (Cape Town: David Philip).
Elkins, Caroline (2000), ‘Reckoning with the Past: The Contrast between the Kenyan and South African Experiences’, Social Dynamics 26,2 (Summer).
Du Toit, Andre (1999), ‘The Product and the Process: On the Impact of the TRC Report’, paper presented at the History Workshop conference on the TRC, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
6. February 19: Power-Sharing versus Opposition
Prominent political scientists such as Lijphart have assessed South Africa to be a ‘divided society’, i.e. one in which fundamental racial and ethnic divisions ensure that the standard Anglo-American political institutions fail to achieve democracy. Instead, they suggest, South Africa requires consociational institutions, with provision for power-sharing. This week we examine the political institutions of post-apartheid South Africa, and ask what provision is made for power-sharing or checks and balances.
Required reading
Lijphart, Arend (1994), ‘Prospects for Power-Sharing in the New South Africa’ in Andrew Reynolds (ed.), Election ‘94 South Africa (St Martin’s Press). (Reader)
Jung, Courtney and Ian Shapiro (1995), ‘South Africa’s Negotiated Transition: Democracy, Opposition and the New Constitutional Order’, Politics and Society 23,3 (Sept), pp.269-308. (Reader)
Koelble, Thomas and Andrew Reynolds (1996), ‘Power-Sharing in the New South Africa’, Politics and Society 24,3 (September), pp.221-36. (Reader)
Shapiro, Ian and Courtney Jung (1996), ‘South African Democracy Revisited: A Reply to Koelble and Reynolds’, Politics and Society 24,3 (September), pp.237-47. (Reader)
Further reading
Shapiro, Ian (1993), ‘Democratic Innovation’, World Politics 46 (October), pp.121-50.
Welsh, David (1998), ‘Coalition Government: An Unwilling Marriage?’, in Bertus De Villiers (ed.), State of the Nation, 1997/98 (Pretoria: HSRC), pp.27-65.
Koelble, Thomas (1998), The Global Economy and Democracy in South Africa (Rutgers U.P.), chapter 2.
Horowitz, Donald (1993), ‘Democracy in Divided Societies’, Journal of Democracy 4,4 (October), pp.18-38.
7. February 26: The Separation of Powers
The separation of powers is a standard mechanism for establishing checks and balances in representative democracy. It has special appeal to conservative democrats, who seek to limit the powers of the majority. In South Africa, the separation of powers has an obvious appeal to the elites of the late apartheid period, anxious about the radical zeal of the ANC. At the same time, constitutionalism had deep appeal to the ANC who, for historical reasons, had come to see the law as a necessary bulwark against tyranny. This week we examine the roles of the constitution, parliament and executive, as well as the quasi-federal character of the South African state.
Required reading
Simeon, Richard and Christina Murray (2001), ‘Multi-Level Governance in South Africa: An Interim Assessment’, unpublished paper. (Reader)
Calland, Richard (1999), ‘Democratic Government, South African Style 1994-1999’, in Andrew Reynolds (ed.), Election ‘99 South Africa (St Martin’s Press), pp.1-15 (Reader)
—– (ed., 1999), The First Five Years: A Review of South Africa’s Democratic Parliament (Cape Town: IDASA), chapters 3 and 4 (on parliamentary committees and parliamentary oversight). (Reader)
Pottie, David (1999), ‘The First Five Years of Provincial Government’, in Andrew Reynolds (ed.), Election ‘99 South Africa (St Martin’s Press), pp.16-36. (Reader)
Further reading
Calland, Richard (ed., 1999), The First Five Years: A Review of South Africa’s Democratic Parliament (Cape Town: IDASA).
James, Wilmot and Moira Levy (eds, 1998), Pulse: Assessing South Africa’s Transition (Cape Town: IDASA), short chapters by Sean Jacobs on parliament, Richard Calland on executive accountability and Mandy Taylor on watchdog institutions.
Klug, Heinz (2000), Constituting Democracy: Law, Globalism and South Africa’s Political Reconstruction (Cambridge: Cambridge U.P.): chapters 7 and 8.
Cockrell, Alfred (1996), ‘Rainbow Jurisprudence’, South African Journal on Human Rights 12,1, pp.1-38.
Davis, Denis and Hugh Corder (1998), ‘We Know What the Constitution Means but We Are Not Telling You: The First Years of the Constitutional Court’, in Bertus De Villiers (ed.), State of the Nation, 1997/98 (Pretoria: HSRC), pp.67-106.
Rapoo, Thabo (1999a), ‘Concealed Contest: MINMECs and the provincial debate’, Centre for Policy Studies, Johannesburg.
—– (1999b), ‘Fertile Feuding: Conflict and reform in South African intergovernmental relations’, Centre for Policy Studies, Johannesburg.
Levy, Norman and Chris Tapscott (eds), Intergovernmental Relations in South Africa: The Challenges of Co-operative Government (Cape Town: IDASA, 2001), especially the chapter by Haysom.
8. March 5: Elections and Voting Behaviour
Do South African voters require their representatives to account for their performance? Studies of voting behaviour in South Africa are divided between those who see elections as mere ‘racial censuses’, with citizens always voting according to race or fixed identities, and those who see citizens exercising some kind of judgement or choice. Support for consociational institutional design is generally predicated on the understanding that South African voters are impervious to issues and simply vote along the pre-determined lines of ascriptive identity.
Required reading
Johnson, R.W. and Lawrence Schlemmer (eds, 1996), Launching Democracy in South Africa: The First Open Election, April 1994 (New Haven: Yale U.P.), especially chapters 9 and 13. (Reserve)
Mattes, Robert et al (1999), ‘Judgement and Choice in the 1999 South African Election’, Politikon 26,2 (November), pp.235-248. (Reader)
Friedman, Steven (1999), ‘Who We Are: Voter Participation, Rationality and the 1999 Election’, Politikon 26,2 (November), pp.213-224. (Reader)
Jung, Courtney (2001), ‘Then I Was Black’: South African Political Identities in Transition (New Haven: Yale U.P.), especially chapters 8 and 9 (Reserve)
Further reading
Mattes, Robert (1995), The Election Book: Judgement and Choice in South Africa’s 1994 Election (Cape Town: IDASA).
—–, Helen Taylor and Cherrel Africa (1999), ‘Public Opinion and Voter Preferences, 1994-1999’, in Andrew Reynolds (ed.), Election ‘99 South Africa (St Martin’s Press), pp.37-63.
Johnson, R.W. and Lawrence Schlemmer (eds, 1996), Launching Democracy in South Africa: The First Open Election, April 1994 (New Haven: Yale U.P.). (Reserve)
Seekings, Jeremy (1997), ‘From the Ballot Box to the Bookshelf: Studies of the 1994 South African General Election’, Journal of Contemporary African Studies 15,2, pp.287-309.
Eldridge, Mathew and Jeremy Seekings (1996), ‘Mandela’s Lost Province: The African National Congress and the Western Cape Electorate in the 1994 South African Elections’, Journal of Southern African Studies 22,4 (December), pp.517-40.
Taylor, Rupert (ed., 1999), ‘Special Issue: The South African Election of June 1999’, Politikon 26,2 (November).
Lodge, Tom (1999), Consolidating Democracy (Johannesburg: Witwatersrand U.P.).
Gibson, Jim and Amanda Gouws (2000), ‘Social Identities and Political Intolerance: Linkages within the South African Mass Public’, American Journal of Political Science 44,2.
SPRING BREAK
9. March 26: The Party System
Is the ANC so dominant within the South African party system that democracy is compromised? Is the dominance of the ANC inevitable and unassailable given either the nature of South African society or the benefits of the ANC’s control over the state? Or does South Africa have an effective multi-party system in which opposition parties pose real alternatives to the ANC? Even if the ANC is dominant now, it might be the case that it is vulnerable (as the PRI found in Mexico, the Congress Party found in India, and ZANU-PF is finding in Zimbabwe, each after decades of dominance).
Required reading
Southall, Roger (ed.), Opposition and Democracy in South Africa (London: Frank Cass, 2001). (Bookhaven, Reserve)
Further reading
Giliomee, Hermann and Charles Simkins (eds, 1999), The Awkward Embrace: One Party-Domination and Democracy (Cape Town: Tafelberg), chapters 1 (Giliomee and Simkins), 2 (Simkins), 4 (Friedman), 11 (Schlemmer) and 14 (Giliomee and Simkins). (Reserve)
Lodge, Tom (1999), South African Politics Since 1994 (Cape Town: David Philip), chapters 1, 2 and 6. (Reserve)
Reynolds, Andrew (ed., 1994), Election ‘94 South Africa (New York: St Martin’s Press), chapters by Lodge (on the ANC) and Giliomee (on the National Party). (Reserve)
—– (ed., 1999), Election ‘99 South Africa (New York: St Martin’s Press), chapters by Lodge (the ANC), Breytenbach (New National Party), Welsh (Democratic Party), Mare (Inkatha Freedom Party) and Piombo (small parties). (Reserve)
Mattes, Robert, Amanda Gouws and Hennie Kotze (1995), ‘The Emerging Party System in the New South Africa’, Party Politics 1,3, pp.381-95.
Southall, Roger (1998), ‘The Centralisation and Fragmentation of South Africa’s Dominant Party System’, African Affairs 97, pp.443-69.
10. April 2: The Political Economy of Public Policy
The survival of capitalism after the end of apartheid has shaken many neo-Marxist scholars of South Africa. Two approaches are evident in studies of the political economy of post-apartheid South Africa. Both see the ANC government as having abandoned ‘progressive’ policies and adopted ‘neo-liberal’ policies, under the influence of the World Bank and I.M.F.. Scholars such as Bond and Marais see South Africa in terms of an underlying conflict between international capital and a largely undifferentiated popular grouping within South Africa. A second approach, evident in the work of scholars linked to the union movement (such as Adler and Webster), engages with the fact that the trade unions remain in an alliance with the ANC. This approach emphasises the achievements of the union movement in terms of securing corporatist institutions and pro-union labour legislation; they see post-apartheid policy as a class compromise. Engaging critically with both approaches, we need to ask who does wield power in terms of public policy-making in post-apartheid South Africa, and how do they do so?
Required reading
Bond, Patrick (2000), Elite Transition: From Apartheid to Neo-liberalism in South Africa (London: Pluto Press and Pietermaritzburg: U. Natal Press), esp. chapters 2, 3 and 5. (Bookhaven, Reserve)
Adler, Glenn and Eddie Webster (1999), ‘Towards a Class Compromise in South Africa’s “Double Transition”; Bargained Liberalisation and the Consolidation of Democracy’, Politics and Society 27,3 (September), pp.347-85. (Reader)
Southall, Roger (ed.), Opposition and Democracy in South Africa (London: Frank Cass, 2001): chapters by Webster, McKinley, Habib and Taylor, and Cherry. (Bookhaven, Reserve)
Further reading
Marais, Hein (2001), South Africa, Limits to Change: The Political Economy of Transformation (Cape Town: University of Cape Town Press, second edition), esp. chapters 3, 5 and 6. (Reserve)
Lodge, Tom (1999), South African Politics Since 1994 (Cape Town: David Philip), chapter 3. (Reserve)
Adam, Heribert (1999), ‘Corporatism as Minority Veto under ANC Hegemony in South Africa’, in Giliomee, Hermann and Charles Simkins (eds, 1999), The Awkward Embrace: One Party-Domination and Democracy (Cape Town: Tafelberg): 261-80.
Nattrass, Nicoli (1996), ‘Gambling on Investment: Competing Economic Strategies in South Africa’, Transformation 31 (1996), pp.25-42.
—– (1999), ‘Globalisation and Social Accords: A Comparative Analysis of Sweden, Australia and South Africa’, LABOUR, Capital and Society 32,2 (November), pp.158-90.
—– (2001), ‘High Productivity Now: A Critical Review of South Africa’s Growth Strategy’, Transformation 45, pp.1-24.
Adler, Glenn and Eddie Webster (eds, 2000), Trade Unions and Democratization in South Africa, 1985-1997 (New York: St Martin’s Press): especially chapters by Baskin and von Holdt. (Reserve)
Bassett, Carolyn and Marlea Clarke (2000), ‘… Class Struggle’, Southern Africa REPORT (2nd quarter), pp.7-10).
Nattrass, Nicoli and Jeremy Seekings (1998), ‘Democratic Institutions and Development in Post-Apartheid South Africa’, in Mark Robinson and Gordon White (eds), The Democratic Developmental State (Oxford U.P.), pp.215-44.
Boyd, Leslie, Michael Spicer and Gavin Keeton (2001), ‘Economic Scenarios for South Africa: A Business Perspective’, Daedalus 130,1 (Winter), pp.71-98.
Bernstein, Ann (1999), Policy-Making in a New Democracy (Johannesburg: Centre for Development and Enterprise).
Koelble, Thomas (1998), The Global Economy and Democracy in South Africa (New Brunswick NJ: Rutgers U.P.), chapter 4.
Klug, Heinz (2000), Constituting Democracy: Law, Globalism and South Africa’s Political Reconstruction (Cambridge: Cambridge U.P.): chapter 6.
Hirschsohn, Philip, Shane Godfrey and Johan Maree (2000), ‘Industrial Policy-Making in the Auto, Textile and Clothing Sectors: Labour’s Strategic Ambivalence’, Transformation 21: 55-88.
Barchiesi, Franco (1999), ‘Economic Adjustment, Political Institutionalism and Social Marginalisation: COSATU and the First Democratic Government, 1994-99’, Transformation 38: 20-48.
Saul, John (1999), ‘Magical Market Realism and the South African Transition’, Transformation 38: 49-67. (Reader)
See also articles in the South African Labour Bulletin, including the exchange on COSATU’s alliance with the ANC, between Southall and Harvey in SALB Vol 25, nos 3-5 (June, Aug and Oct 2001).
11. April 9: The Politics of Redistribution
The distribution of income in South Africa is exceptionally unequal, by international standards. Inequality persists even after the repeal of apartheid legislation. In what ways do public policies contribute to as well as mitigate inequality? To answer this we must examine a range of public policies, including patterns of public taxation and expenditure as well as policies affecting the economic growth path. We need to explain why some areas of policy are redistributive (for example, the budget) whilst others appear to do little to reduce inequality (for example, labour market policies). Why, in a democracy, do the poor not have more consistent influence on policy outcomes?
Required reading
Nattrass, Nicoli and Jeremy Seekings (2001a), ‘“Two Nations?” Race and Economic Inequality in South Africa Today’, Daedalus 130,1 (Winter), pp.45-70. (Reader)
—– and —– (2001b), ‘Democracy and Distribution in Highly Unequal Economies the case of South Africa’, Journal of Modern African Studies x,x (September), pp.x-x. (Reader)
Friedman, Steven and Ivor Chipkin (2001), ‘A Poor Voice: The Politics of Inequality in South Africa’, unpublished paper. (Reader)
Further reading
Seekings, Jeremy and Nicoli Nattrass (forthcoming), From Race to Class: Inequality, Unemployment and the Social Structure in South Africa (Cape Town: David Philip), chapters 6 to 11. (Reserve)
Van der Berg, Servaas (2001), ‘Redistribution through the Budget: Public Expenditure Incidence in South Africa, 1993-97’, in Social Dynamics 27,1.
Adam, Kaya (1997), ‘The Politics of Redress: South African Style Affirmative Action’, Journal of Modern African Studies 25,2 (June), pp.231-50.
De Vos, Pierre (1997), ‘Pious Wishes or Directly Enforceable Human Rights? Social and Economic Rights in South Africa’s 1996 Constitution’, South African Journal on Human Rights 13, pp.67-101.
—– (2000), ‘Substantive Equality after Grootboom: The Emergence of Social and Economic Context as Guiding Value in Equality Jurisprudence’, unpublished conference paper.
Scott and Alston (2000), on Soobramoney and Grootboom, South African Journal on Human Rights 16,2, pp.x-x.
12. April 16: Mandela and the Politics of Reconciliation
Mandela is an international icon. But was he a success as the first President of the democratic South Africa? In the previous seminars we have examined aspects of economic policy. How do we assess the Mandela presidency as a whole? This requires us to focus on the politics of inter-racial reconciliation, which may have been Mandela’s primary concern.
Required reading
Sampson, Anthony (1999), Mandela: The Authorized Biography (London: HarperCollins), chapters 34 to 41. (Bookhaven, Reserve)
Booth, Douglas (1996), ‘Mandela and Amabokoboko: the Political and Linguistic Nationalisation of South Africa’, Journal of Modern African Studies 34,3, pp.459-77. (Reader)
Friedman, Steven (1999), ‘South Africa; Entering the Post-Mandela Era’, Journal of Democracy 10,4 (October). (Reader)
Further reading
Muthien, Yvonne et al (eds, 2000), Democracy and Governance Review: Mandela’s Legacy, 1994-99 (Pretoria: HSRC).
Maingard, J. (1997), ‘Imag(in)ing the South African Nation: Representations of Identity in the Rugby World Cup 1995’, Theatre Journal 49, pp.15-28.
Jung, Courtney and Jeremy Seekings (1997), ‘That Time was Apartheid, Now It’s the New South Africa: Discourses of Race in Ruyterwacht, 1995’, in Will Kymlicka and Ian Shapiro (eds), Nomos XXXIX: Ethnicity and Group Rights (New York: NYU Press), pp.504-539.
Adam, Heribert, Kogila Moodley and F. van Zyl Slabbert (1997), Comrades in Business (Cape Town: Tafelberg).
Vahed, Goolam (2001), ‘Race, Media, Cricket and Nation in Post-Apartheid South Africa: Reflections on Hansiegate’, unpublished paper.
Bratton, Michael and Robert Mattes (2001), ‘Support for Democracy in Africa: Intrinsic or Instrumental?’ British Journal of Political Science 31: 447-474.
Gibson, James and Helen Macdonald (2001), ‘Truth, Yes, Reconciliation, Maybe: South Africans Judge the Truth and Reconciliation Process’, Research Report, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (Cape Town).
13. April 23: The Mbeki Presidency
Thabo Mbeki assumed the presidency after South Africa’s second democratic elections, in 1999. Since then he has been embroiled in a series of controversies: over AIDS, Zimbabwe, and investigations of corruption. Most of the reading for this seminar will be drawn from the press and the internet. The following may be of assistance:
Required reading
Van der Vliet, Virginia (2001), ‘AIDS: Losing the New Struggle’, Daedalus 130,1 (Winter), pp.151-84. (Reader)
Lodge, Tom (1999), South African Politics Since 1994 (Cape Town: David Philip), chapters 8 and 9. (Reserve)
Butler, Anthony (2000), ‘Is South Africa Heading Towards Authoritarian Rule? Instability Myths and Expectations Traps in a New Democracy’, Politikon 27,2: 189-205. (Reader)
Further reading
Hadland, Adrian and Jovial Rantao (1999), The Life and Times of Thabo Mbeki (Johannesburg: Zebra).
South African Institute of Race Relations (various years), South African Survey (Johannesburg: SAIRR).