{"title":"Revisiting tradition, reconstructing identity? Afrikaner nationalism and political transition in South Africa","authors":"W. Munro","doi":"10.1080/02589349508705020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02589349508705020","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Recent theories of democratic consolidation stress the importance of elite accommodation between contending groups; thus they emphasise group cohesion and solidarity. However, the process of transition itself involves political schisms within authoritarian groups which complicate group identification for institutionalising groupbased politics. This is shown in the case of Afrikaner nationalism. Intensifying tensions in the 1980s between a race‐based nationalist ideology, its institutional vehicle (the National Party) and its raison d'etre (control of state power) show how political shifts came to be interpreted as cultural betrayal, forcing a split in the cultural politics of the group. These schisms assailed core cultural traditions of the group, destabilising the bonds of group cohesion. They have not been resolved, and the group's political identity remains a focus ofintra‐group contestation. Against this background, it is difficult to design appropriate institutions for mediation based on gro...","PeriodicalId":81644,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Commonwealth political studies","volume":"51 1","pages":"5-33"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83684986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Die akkommodering van taal‐, kultuuren etniese groepe in die politieke stelsel","authors":"Dj Kriek","doi":"10.1080/02589349508705021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02589349508705021","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This article deals with the issue of non‐territorial accommodation of language, cultural and ethnic groups in the political system. Apart from a historical background, the issue is discussed within the South African, Belgian and European contexts. The conclusion of the article refers to present day circumstances in South Africa.","PeriodicalId":81644,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Commonwealth political studies","volume":"16 1","pages":"34-52"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86497029","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Can the Giant be gentle? Peacemaking as South African foreign policy","authors":"J. Westhuizen","doi":"10.1080/02589349508705023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02589349508705023","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This article presents the case for South Africa assuming the role of peacemaker to (i) promote South Africa's symbolic significance and (ii) sustain its relative international prominence. It is argued that at least until 1999 internal and external conditions would be conducive toward South Africa convincingly assuming such a role since, as regional hegemon, it possesses the necessary “hard”, but also potentially significant “soft” power to contribute toward regional peace and security. In support of this argument, the article explores a variety of intervention measures South Africa could apply – particularly, but not exclusively, in regard to conflicts arising in Southern Africa – with due regard to objections of an over‐extension of foreign policy commitments.","PeriodicalId":81644,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Commonwealth political studies","volume":"86 1","pages":"72-85"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82247470","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Critical and postmodern readings of strategic culture and Southern African security in the 1990s","authors":"X. Carim","doi":"10.1080/02589349508705022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02589349508705022","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Traditional approaches to the study of International Relations have been premised on the Realist world view wherein the turbulence and complexity of global life are funnelled into a caricatured narrative based on rigid interpretations of state sovereignty and international anarchy. In its place, this essay proposes a more reflexivist and critical (postmodernist) approach which, it is argued, provides a more nuanced account of the ambiguities and paradoxes of contemporary global politics. It is within this alternative world view that this essay locates the concept of strategic culture. Strategic culture refers to a nation's traditional attitudes and behaviour with respect to the threat and use of force. The essay suggests that if the concept is employed as a heuristic device, it promises to reveal the strategic disposition of the various countries in the region with regard to peace, conflict, force and the prospects for regional conflict‐resolution. In so doing, the concept can help discover wheth...","PeriodicalId":81644,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Commonwealth political studies","volume":"25 1","pages":"53-71"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82575144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Transition politics and the prospects of democratic consolidation in South Africa","authors":"W. V. Vuuren","doi":"10.1080/02589349508705012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02589349508705012","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The paper explores the prospects of the fledgling South African democracy to stabilize into a lasting one. On the assumption, offered by Karl & Schmitter, that the mode of transition is a significant determinant of democratic consolidation, a conceptual model developed by them is used to analyze the type and possibilities of the South African transition. Characterizing this transition as a combination of “pacting” and “reform” provides a mixed type without clear and simple possibilities. In terms of the authors’ conclusions, such a mode simultaneously refers to the most successful (elite‐driven) and least successful (mass‐driven) types. These conclusions are considered within the South African context.","PeriodicalId":81644,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Commonwealth political studies","volume":"22 1","pages":"5-23"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73874783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Democratisation and economic policy — the experiencé of selected countries","authors":"G. Kershoff, C. McCarthy","doi":"10.1080/02589349508705014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02589349508705014","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In South Africa, the parliamentary majority of the former political outsiders who represent the majority of the poor, strengthened the expectation of extensive changes in economic policy. One way of establishing what the future holds for South Africa under the new dispensation is to analyse the experience of recently democratised countries. Five countries were selected, namely Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Spain. Of the selected countries only the macroeconomic policies of Brazil and Spain could be described as expansionary. The experience of the selected countries therefore does not confirm the arguments put forward in wide a priori reasoning that transitional democracies necessarily implement expansionary macroeconomic policies. The experience of the selected countries furthermore indicates that transitional democracies tend to perpetuate their poor economic performance. The indications are that, should this exercise be repeated in three years time, South Africa would probably have joined ...","PeriodicalId":81644,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Commonwealth political studies","volume":"41 1","pages":"36-51"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82249719","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tracing power relations in the global knowledge structure: two case studies","authors":"S. Vorster, P. Nel","doi":"10.1080/02589349508705015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02589349508705015","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT How knowledge is produced, legitimised, controlled and disseminated globally are some of the least understood aspects of the international political economy (IPE), despite the fact that intellectual content has become the major factor in comparative trade advantage. Furthermore, the dynamism inherent in the global knowledge structure is producing (and reproducing) deep cleavages in international interaction in ways that we do not grasp because of our reluctance to introduce the concept of “power” into the discourse on knowledge in general, and science and technology in particular. This article suggests how our understanding of the power dimensions of the global knowledge structure may be enhanced by means of detailed case studies of the power differentials involved in a) the 1980's debate about science and technology indicators, and b) the bargaining concerning intellectual property rights during the recently concluded round of GATT negotiations.","PeriodicalId":81644,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Commonwealth political studies","volume":"30 1","pages":"52-78"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90706009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Review essay: rethinking the economy/state debate in South Africa, 1948–1961","authors":"Ivor Sarakinsky","doi":"10.1080/02589349508705016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02589349508705016","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":81644,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Commonwealth political studies","volume":"8 1","pages":"79-92"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87548754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Freedom of the Press","authors":"Seumas Miller","doi":"10.1080/02589349508705013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02589349508705013","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In this paper I argue for the following claims. Firstly, freedom of the press (media) is justified in part because of its legitimate role as the provider of a forum for the members of the public (including individuals, groups and organisations such as government) to communicate to the public at large. Secondly, the freedom of the press is justified in part because of its legitimate role as an investigator and communicator of matters that the public has a right to know of. Thirdly, the press does not have a fundamental right to exist as an autonomous communicator. This does not exclude the possibility of pragmatic reasons for having a press which is in fact an autonomous communicator.","PeriodicalId":81644,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Commonwealth political studies","volume":"67 1","pages":"24-35"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1995-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76972820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The proto‐science of consolidology: can it improve the outcome of contemporary efforts at democratization?","authors":"P. Schmitter","doi":"10.1080/02589349408705006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02589349408705006","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The wave of democratization that began in 1974 and that seems to have crested in the mid‐1990s has encouraged the development of two proto‐sciences within political science: transitology and consolidology. This article explores some on the founding principles of the latter with the hope of contributing to the likelihood that more of the over forty polities that have “transited” from various forms of autocracy will succeed in consolidating some type of democracy. It concludes that, despite some unavoidable regressions and the inevitable desencanto (disenchantment), more democracies than ever before will manage to consolidate themselves. However, this very success — far from pressaging “the end of history” — will lead to renewed questioning and criticism of the actual practices of liberal democracy. Democracy consecrated will become democracy contested as we enter the next century.","PeriodicalId":81644,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Commonwealth political studies","volume":"12 1","pages":"15-27"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81975121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}