Non-racialism as an effort to assimilate to whiteness

Abstract

South Africa is one of the most unequal countries globally, and inequality is distributed along racial lines. The impoverishment of black people and its endurance is a product of colonialism and apartheid projects. The PIU problem (poverty, inequality and unemployment) is thus a manifestation of the longue durée of colonialism and apartheid. The notion of the longue durée focuses on deeply embedded and enduring traits of the social, economic and political reality. This study focuses on the concept and discourse of non-racialism, and it shows that it exists as a political idea, a constitutional value and a social guideline. The concept of non-racialism is used in the title and is central to the research problem identified here: black impoverishment and sustained racial inequality. This study explores the role of these three interlocutors: non-racialism, neo-liberalism and whiteness in the longue durée of impoverishment and inequality. The main arguments presented in this dissertation are three-fold. First, the ANC’s idea of non-racialism is based on white grammar; secondly, the dominant societal perception of non-racialism is based on liberal sentiments and ideas. Finally, that neo-liberal economic policy does not fundamentally challenge the structural underpinnings of racial inequality. Having traced the historical evolution of the discourse of non-racialism in liberation parties’ emancipatory visions and in constitutional jurisprudence, this study ultimately grapples with the question whether non-racialism in its current form can contribute to a society that reflects racial justice.