Great Pretenders: Race and Class under ANC Rule

This book provides a critical analysis of South Africa since 1994, focusing on the ANC government's follies and failures over the past 25 years. It explores the history of South Africa since the mid-17th century, discussing slavery, colonial rule, dispossession, the mineral revolution, industrial capitalism, and apartheid. The author assesses the relation of racism to capitalism as a global phenomenon and the specific forms of systemic racism that developed in South Africa under colonial rule and subsequently codified in apartheid. He also mounts a sustained critique of 'Africanist majoritarian chauvinism' and makes a significant contribution to the discourse on race, identity, and post-apartheid dynamics.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 420 pages
Publication date: 21 May 2021
Publisher: Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd

This is a comprehensive and incisive critical analysis of South Africa since 1994, with a particular focus on the ANC government's follies and failures over the past 25 years. It dissects an acute social, economic, and political crisis, arguing that a series of events, including HIV/AIDS denialism, the Marikana shootings, the Nkandla funding scandal, mass student protests, the Esidimeni health tragedy, systemic corruption, and state capture, are rooted in policy choices made by the ANC during negotiations and in power. Presented within a broader historical context, the author traces the history of South Africa since the mid-17th century, encompassing slavery, colonial rule, dispossession, the mineral revolution, the development of industrial capitalism, and apartheid. He also reviews the history of the ANC since 1912, highlighting continuities in the movement's class character and the extent to which its political objectives aligned with the capitalist order. This compatibility meant that the democratic rights enshrined in the 1996 constitution, which aimed to address past inequalities, left untouched the capitalist economic architecture.

The contemporary analysis and historical background are situated within an overview and theoretical analysis of the concept of race and the history, ideologies, and practices of racism and racialism. The author assesses the relationship between racism and capitalism as a global phenomenon and the specific forms of systemic racism that emerged in South Africa under colonial rule and were later codified in apartheid. A separate chapter delves into the National Question, addressing the challenges and complexities of nation-building in a diverse and divided society.

Throughout the book, the author mounts a sustained critique of 'Africanist majoritarian chauvinism,' making a significant and combative contribution to the prevailing discourse on race, identity, and post-apartheid politics. The book is a valuable resource for scholars, activists, and policymakers seeking to understand the complexities of South Africa's past and present.

Weight: 446g
Dimension: 155 x 234 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781431430567