Challenges for political science in South Africa

Abstract

The political scientist in South Africa is faced with the challenge to give meaning and relevance to the discipline in the South African context. Therefore it is the task of the political scientist to conceptualize the discipline of political science in a universal context and to evaluate the unique South African political experience against the universal pattern. On the South African level a meaningful and fruitful dialogue with foreign political science scholars must be maintained, our own political history, experience and culture must be assessed and general concepts must be applied to our own political situation. Regarding the basis of conceptualization to which the political scientists should address themselves, the question of priorities arise. In this attempt at theorizing, relevant concepts developed elsewhere may be of some use to the South African political scientist, but essentially a high degree of intellectual innovation on. the part of local scholars is called for.