Social cohesion and reconciliation in South Africa
| dc.contributor.advisor | De Jager, Nicola | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Steenekamp, Cindy | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Gildenhuys, Kabelo Johannes | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2016-03-09T14:26:10Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2016-03-09T14:26:10Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2016-03 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2016. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Social cohesion and reconciliation have important roles to play in the development and trajectory of conflict transformation in countries marked by past conflict. Given South Africa’s divided past, based predominantly on racial divisions, conflict transformation between the country’s racial groups is essential for ensuring future stability. Improved levels of social cohesion are an indication of the quality of social relations, particularly measured in terms of the levels of social and political trust and reconciliation, understood as the distance in social relations, specifically as observed in terms of inter-racial contact and inter-racial prejudice; improved levels of social and political trust and reconciliation would ultimately contribute towards sustained conflict transformation. The notions of ‘conflict transformation’ and ‘political culture’ provide the conceptual framework for the study of social cohesion and reconciliation, particularly in the South African context. Survey data from the South African Reconciliation Barometer (SARB) administered by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) were utilised for this study. This study was able to highlight how both social cohesion and reconciliation have changed, particularly in relation to the different race groups of South Africa. Employing a longitudinal study enabled the observation and analysis of the development of conflict transformation in South Africa through variables related to the dimensions of social cohesion and reconciliation from 2003 to 2013. The findings showed an increase in contact and social trust, particularly for Black and White South Africans. Additionally, White South Africans’ political trust increased significantly, whereas there was a decrease in political trust for Black South Africans. Levels of prejudice declined for White South Africans, whereas the levels of prejudice recorded for Black South Africans were more mixed as they decreased and increased. For both Indian and Coloured South Africans there was a decrease of acceptance of other race groups, albeit from a higher level of acceptance compared to Black and White South Africans. Levels of social cohesion and reconciliation remain low and the need for sustained efforts towards conflict transformation is evident. Several factors have been highlighted as contributing towards the low levels for both dimensions recorded. In particular, inequality, high crime levels, national leadership challenges and corruption have all had an adverse effect for the realisation of sustained conflict transformation in South Africa. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANS OPSOMMING: Sosiale kohesie en versoening het albei belangrike rolle in die ontwikkeling en toekomstige verloop van konflik transformasie in lande wat in die verlede gekenmerk is deur konflik. Gegewe dat Suid-Afrika se verdeelde verlede hoofsaaklik gebaseer was op ras, plaas konflik transformasie tussen die land se verskeie rasse groepe van uiterste belang vir die behoud van toekomstige stabiliteit. Verbeterde vlakke van sosiale kohesie as aanduiding van die kwaliteit van verhoudings in ‘n samelewing, spesifiek gemeet in terme van sosiale en politieke vertroue; en versoening, verstaan as die afstand in sosiale verhoudings, gemeet in terme van inter-rasse kontak en inter-rasse vooroordeel, dra gesamentlik by tot die totstandkoming van volhoubare konflik transformasie. Beide konflik transformasie en politieke kultuur skep die konseptuele raamwerke vir die studie van sosial kohesie en versoening binne die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks. Opname data van die South African Reconciliation Barometer (SARB), behartig deur die Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) is gebruik vir die uitvoer van hierdie studie. Met die gebruik van die data kon die studie die verloop van beide sosiale kohesie en versoening meet veral ten opsigte van die verskillende rasse groepe in Suid-Afrika. Die gebruik van ‘n longitudinale studie het hierdie navorsing in staat gestel om die ontwikkeling van konflik transformasie deur middel van verskeie aanwysers verbonde aan beide sosiale kohesie sowel as versoening tussen 2003 en 2013 te meet. Die oorhoofse bevindinge toon dat daar ‘n toename in kontak en sosiale vertroue was veral vir Swart en Wit Suid-Afrikaners. Waar Wit Suid-Afrikaners ‘n toename in politieke vertroue getoon het, het Swart Suid-Afrikaners ‘n afname getoon. Vlakke van vooroodeel het afgeneem vir Wit Suid-Afrikaners, terwyl die vlakke van vooroordeel vir Swart Suid-Afrikaners verbeter sowel as verswak het. Ofskoon van ‘n hoër grondvlak in vergeleke met Swart en Wit Suid-Afrikaners, het beide Kleurling en Indiër Suid-Afrikaners ‘n afname van aanvaarding van ander rasse groepe getoon. Vlakke van sosiale kohesie en versoening bly egter laag en derhalwe is volhoubare pogings nodig ten opsigte van konflik transformasie. Verskeie faktore wat bydra tot die lae stand van beide sosiale kohesie sowel as versoening was geïdenitifiseer. Veral ongelykheid, hoë misdaadsyfers, nasionale leierskap uitdagings en korrupsie het almal bygedra tot die tekortkoming dusvêr in terme van volhoubare konflik transformasie in Suid-Afrika. | af_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | x, 128 pages | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/98494 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | SARB | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | South African Reconciliation Barometer | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | IJR | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Institute of Justice and Reconciliation | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Social cohesion | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Reconciliation -- Political aspects -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Reconciliation -- Social aspects -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Inter-racial contact | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.title | Social cohesion and reconciliation in South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |