Socio-political and Psychological Perspectives on South Africa

Book excerpt: South Africa is a society that, sadly, has been divided against itself even at the best of times. Beginning with the initial advent of colonialism on the southern tip of the African continent, through to the later spawning of apartheid as well as in its nascent democracy, divisions have continually been manifest in varying form and content, along racial, ethnic, class, religious, language, political or other socio-economic and cultural lines. Unlike most societies, South Africa is a natural laboratory for psycho-social research yet it has been foreign researchers who have conducted most of the behavioural studies on the human condition in the country. South African psychologists seem to have steered clear of involvement in researching any major policy impact, especially in recent times when the re-shaping of South African society has been at its height. Each of the authors in this book is South African and, appropriately, has lived through the transition in South Africa and has attempted to understand the changes at both professional and personal levels. The contributors were each asked to write a chapter that would explore the South African socio-political terrain from within their fields of expertise and so help others navigate the uncharted future with less trepidation.'