South Africa - History, Africa - Ethnic & Race Relations, Africa - General & Miscellaneous, South African Politics & Government
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Overview
The election of 1994, which heralded the demise of Apartheid as a legally enforced institutionalization of "whiteness," disconnected the prior moorings of social identity for most South Africans, whatever their political persuasion. In one of the most profound collective psychological experiences of the contemporary world, South Africans are renegotiating the meaning of their social positionalities. In this book, Melissa Steyn, herself a white South African, grapples with what it means to be white, reflecting on events in her past that still resonate with her today. Her research includes discourse with more than fifty white South Africans who are faced with reinterpreting their old selves in the light of new knowledge and possibilities. Framed within current debates of postcolonialism and postmodernism, "Whiteness Just Isn't What It Used To Be" explores how the changes in South Africa's social and political structure are changing the white population's identity and sense of self.Synopsis
Since the 1994 election which dismantled apartheid, South Africans have been renegotiating their identities. From a questionnaire, Steyn (professional communication, U. of Cape Town) distills five narratives of "whiteness" ranging from being masters to hybridization. Appends methodological notes and a chronology.
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Book Details
Published
September 1, 2001
Publisher
State University of New York Press
Pages
256
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780791450802