Ordinary Whites in Apartheid Society

In Ordinary Whites in Apartheid Society, historian Neil Roos explores how ordinary white people in South Africa during the apartheid years defied specific aspects of the apartheid state but never opposed or acknowledged racial supremacy, allowing them to later claim they never supported the system.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 06 February 2024
Publisher: Indiana University Press

In his book, Ordinary Whites in Apartheid Society, historian Neil Roos delves into the lives of ordinary white people in South Africa during the apartheid years, commencing in 1948 when the National Party gained power on the back of its infamous apartheid slogan. Through the lens of his own family's experiences and those of others, Roos explores how working-class whites often defied specific aspects of the apartheid state but seldom challenged or acknowledged the fundamental idea of racial supremacy, which served as the foundation of apartheid society. This cognitive dissonance provided them with a means to simultaneously accommodate and oppose apartheid, enabling them to later claim that they never supported the system.

Ordinary Whites in Apartheid Society serves as a poignant reminder that the politics and practices of race, particularly in the context of apartheid-era whiteness, are not solely shaped from the top down but also emerge from the grassroots. It underscores the complex and multifaceted nature of racial identity and the ways in which ordinary individuals navigate and contribute to systems of oppression. By examining the experiences of working-class whites during apartheid, Roos sheds light on the ways in which individuals can be both complicit and resistant in the perpetuation of racial inequality.

Weight: 666g
Dimension: 250 x 150 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780253068026