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The Art of Becoming a Minority. Afrikaner Re-politicisation and Afrikaans Political Ethnicity
Journal
African Studies
ISSN
0002-0184
ISSN-Digital
1469-2872
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2015-02-25
Author(s)
Alsheh, Yehonatan
Abstract
The accord to formally end apartheid did not bring an end to efforts advocating the preservation and promotion of Afrikaans as a language, a culture and a family of identities and communities. One strand of recent studies treats these efforts analytically as nationalist projects, implying that any preoccupation with power to protect cultural and linguistic practices constitutes a revival of Afrikaner nationalism. In this conceptual article, we propose to distinguish between political ethnicity and nationalism, arguing that the notion of political ethnicity is better suited to analyse contemporary ethnopolitical demands than nationalism. Whether there is a (hidden) long-term intent of creating a self-determined Afrikaner nation should not be presupposed but be an empirical question in each case studied. Departing from a discussion of Mariana Kriel's perspective on Afrikaner nationalism, we develop an understanding of political ethnicity and discuss its relation to race and nationalism. As current ethnopolitical efforts are entangled with the past, we analyse the conceptual legacy of the former hegemonic Afrikaner nationalism with regard to what we call its bicameral ontology and propose a different understanding of social entities, questioning the adequacy of sustaining split ontologies in what appears to be a more diverse social environment than ever. Empirical research, we suggest, should also consider the innovative, creative and exploratory aspects of what we think should be studied as one of the more intriguing and politically puzzling contemporary attempts at becoming a minority.
Link to the fulltext version:
http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/96hqqNAgi9xDInkdGSWz/full
Link to the fulltext version:
http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/96hqqNAgi9xDInkdGSWz/full
Language
English
Keywords
ethnicity
nationalism
nation
Afrikaans
South Africa
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
HSG Profile Area
SHSS - Kulturen, Institutionen, Maerkte (KIM)
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
Publisher place
Abingdon
Volume
74
Number
3
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
236762