Do South Africans Exist?: Nationalism, Democracy and the Identity of ‘the People’Do South Africans Exist? Addresses a gap in contemporary studies of nationalism and the nation, providing a critical study of South African nationalism against a broader context of African nationalism in general. Narratives of resistance, telling of African peoples oppressed and exploited, presume that ‘the people’ preceded the period of nationalist struggle. This book explores how an African ‘people’ came into being in the first place, particularly in the South African context, as a collectivity organised in pursuit of a political – and not simply cultural – end. The author argues that the nation is a political community whose form is given in relation to the pursuit of democracy and freedom, and that if democratic authority is lodged in 'the people', what matters is the way that this 'people' is defined, delimited and produced. He argues that the nation precedes the state, not because it has always existed, but because it emerges in and through the nationalist struggle for state power. Ultimately, he encourages the reader to re-evaluate knee-jerk judgements about the failure of modernity in Africa. |
Contents
The Sublime Object of Nationalism | 1 |
The Nature of African Nationalism | 17 |
The Democratic Origin of Nations | 41 |
Copyright | |
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African nationalism African political apartheid argues authentic basis become Bernstein Biko Black Consciousness campaign Cape Town capitalism capitalist cited citizens citizenship colonial Comaroff Comintern Congress Constitution culture deemed defined democracy demos discussed East Rand economy emergence emphasis added ethnic example Fanon Fosatu fraternity Freedom Charter French frontier hegemonic hegemonic formation Hence hostel hostel dwellers hostel residents human rights identity independence indunas Inkatha Johannesburg labour Laclau & Mouffe Laclau and Mouffe liberation limit logic Mamdani Manenberg Mawu Mbeki Mbembe modern movement national democratic revolution national subject nationalist Negritude oppression organisations particular political community popular population postcolony precisely principle produced question race racial refers relation relationship republic resistance SACP Sactu simply social society South African sovereignty Soweto stake struggle territory theory of NDR Tokoza township residents Trade Unions unity urban violence Vosloorus Xhosa Zulu