Original scientific paper

The Racialisation of Social Scientific Research on South Africa

Rupert Taylor ; Senior Lecturer in Political Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannnesburg, South Africa
Mark Orkin ; Head of South Africa’s Central Statistical Service, 0001 Pretoria, South Africa

Abstract

The study of South African societies has been framed within the logic of the “factual“ existence of “race" and “ethnicity”. A brief historical account of the context of studies shows a range of unresolved questions in mainstream research on South Africa society. It has not been shown exactly why and how “race” and “ethnicity” are sociologically useful categories for analysis and has not actually been made clear how “race” and “ethnicity” help “explain” South African society. The mainstream research has been marked by the empirical-analytical approach which guides to the paradigm of divided society. How has mainstream work sought to establish a critically distant position from apartheid thinking, and has it been able to move substantively beyond the “official” “racial” and “ethnic” classifications of apartheid ideology? - are two main problems discussed in this paper.

Keywords

race; ethnicity; research paradigm; divided society; social intervention

Hrčak ID:

154460

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/154460

Publication date:

30.6.1998.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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