The Paradox of Liberal Politics in the South African Context
Alfred Hoernlé's Critique of Liberalism's Pact with White Domination
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3025659 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Robert Bernasconi (0000-0001-9699-895X, Pennsylvania State University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 163-181 |
| Publication date | 2016-07-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Critical Philosophy of Race (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2165-8684 • E-ISSN: 2165-8692 |
| Publisher | The Pennsylvania State University Press (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.5325/critphilrace.4.2.0163 |
| OpenAlex | W3142570311 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 13 |
This article traces the evolution by which in the context of 1930s South Africa the liberal philosopher Alfred Hoernlé came to recognize the inability of classical liberalism to address the problems of a society in which a racial hierarchy had become deeply entrenched. Although he must be criticized for his patriarchal approach and for the pessimism that led him to take White attitudes toward Black South Africans as an unchangeable part of the situation that simply had to be accepted, his insight into the limits of liberalism still resonates. While most White commentators were still thinking of racism in terms of beliefs and attitudes, he already understood that the problem lay in the systemic adoption of "techniques of domination" or what we today might call institutional racism. Although his proposal in 1939 that "Total Separation" was "a legitimate application of sound liberal ideas" was deeply problematic in context and might well have had a serious negative impact, it should be understood that it was intended to highlight the fundamental paradox into which liberalism fell when attempting to solve the problems it had helped to create by its belief in a civilizing mission that began with violence
Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Liberalism · Pessimism · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Racism · Sociology · African cultural and philosophical studies · Gender Studies · History · Law · Philosophy · South African History and Culture
R.F.A. Hoernlé and Idealist Liberalism in South Africa
State Power and Black Politics in South Africa, 1912–51
Race, Industrialization and Social Change in South Africa
Native Education at the Cross-Roads in South Africa
Liberals and Local Administration in South Africa
The Paradox of Liberal Politics in the South African Context
| Citations per year | 0.3 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2016 - 2026 (11) |
| Highly cited | No |