Revisiting the National Question and Identity

Abstract

The struggle against apartheid left many questions relating to the various meanings of non-racialism, identity and political practice unresolved, and there are some questions that have arisen since South Africa's transition to democracy for which previous understandings of non-racialism and the National Question may be inadequate. The debate about which groups constitute ‘national minorities’, how they should be defined and how their ‘essential attributes’ could be identified has never been resolved. The debate was deferred and subordinated to the exigencies of political mobilisation and organisation, which took the existence of races for granted. This article shows how the idea of recognition and anti-essentialism drawn from contemporary social theory can contribute to a re-conceptualisation of collective political identities in ways that have the potential to contribute to a deepening non-racialism as an egalitarian political project in a constitutional democracy.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Professor Rupert Taylor for his helpful comments and encouragement.

Notes

Demand management and interventionist fiscal policies have made a comeback in response to the global financial crisis, but the welfare state has not.

This crucial ANC conference, which took place under conditions of illegality in 1969, adopted the Strategy and Tactics document, which continues to frame discussions in the ANC on the national question.

The South African Constitution does not contain an express anti-establishment provision, but such a clause would probably be read in.

President of the African National Congress from 1930 to 1937.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Firoz Cachalia

Adjunct Professor, School of Law, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.