Post-apartheid South Africa has seen a resurgence of cultural nationalism, presenting itself in the form of Ubuntu. Instead of developing democratic institutions and a viable democratic culture, an obsession with nation building has developed, the nature of which, and the strategies of exclusion that are employed to promote it, is contrary to the development of democracy. The continuities from cultural nationalist ideologies of the apartheid era into the post-apartheid present reveal this clearly. The nationalist ideology of Ubuntu glorifies an imagined past. With its emphasis on community values, it promotes an attitude of conformity. The ambivalent relationship between the process of truth and reconciliation and the project of nation building is also analysed in this article.
Reprints and Corporate Permissions
Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?
To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:
Academic Permissions
Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?
Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:
If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.
Related Research Data
Related research
People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.
Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.
Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.