South Africa's economic relations with Africa

Hegemony and its discontents

Bibliographic Data

ID10144558
AuthorsChris Alden (0000-0001-7033-1655), Mills Soko (South African Institute of International Affairs)
Year2005
Volume43
Issue3
Pages367-392
Publication date2005-07-28
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of Modern African Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-278X • E-ISSN: 1469-7777
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0022278x05001011
OpenAlexW1973261881
LanguageEN
Citations received43
References cited12

South Africa's growing economic presence across the African continent has sparked a debate in public and scholarly circles as to its intentions. While some have been quick to see South African business and parastatals as part of a larger hegemonic project pursued by Pretoria, the authors’ more structured analysis of economic ties with Africa reveals a more complex picture. Institutionalised forms of regional cooperation, such as SACU and SADC, must be contrasted with the activities of South African multinationals and parastatals on the wider African stage to understand the possibilities and limitations of hegemonic practice open to South Africa. Beyond its own region, a key determinant will be its relations with the other leading African power, Nigeria, as well as its ability to compete with other external actors. Finally, the role of ideology is a crucial measure of South African hegemony, and while certainly its ‘soft power’ is evident at the societal level, some African elites actively resist the pull of South Africa-based ideas

Development economics · Economics · Hegemony · Ideology · International relations · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Sociology · Soft power · International Development and Aid · Law · South African History and Culture · World Systems and Global Transformations