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: Paperback / softback
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, despite often defying specific aspects of the apartheid state, seldom challenged or acknowledged the fundamental idea of racial supremacy that underpinned the apartheid society. This cognitive dissonance allowed them to navigate a complex terrain, simultaneously accommodating and opposing apartheid while later claiming they never supported the system. Roos' book 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 sheds light on the nuanced ways in which ordinary individuals, caught between conflicting ideologies and societal pressures, contributed to the perpetuation of apartheid.

Weight: 396g
Dimension: 152 x 230 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780253068033