BACK TO THE FUTURE: WHITE STUDENTS ACCOUNTING FOR NON-PARTICIPATION IN STUDENT POLITICS

Abstract

Our research examines the role that race, racial identity and racism play in talk about student politics. In this article we examine white male and female students’ accounts for non-participation in student politics at a historically black university. Our analysis of talk in focus group discussions identifies a range of conceptual dichotomies. We link these conceptual dichotomies to deeply entrenched racially binarized narratives and show how recourse to them is used to articulate and legitimize decisions not to participate in student politics. We discuss the implications of the strategies employed by white students to account for non-participation in student politics and conclude the article by giving consideration to suggestions for alternate frames for doing whiteness in contemporary South Africa.