Politics in the apartheid state
Analysing the materiality of the political
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3608026 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Dan O’meara (Université du Québec à Montréal, corresponding author), Dan O''Meara, Dan O'Meara |
| Year | 1996 |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 37-73 |
| Publication date | 1996-06-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Dynamics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0253-3952 • E-ISSN: 1940-7874 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/02533959608458611 |
| OpenAlex | W1967158063 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 6 |
This paper seeks to stimulate a debate about the nature of the current South African state through an outline of four parameters to an approach to analysing “the materiality of the political” in the apartheid state. I argue that, just as we cannot have anything but the most general (and hence analytically imprecise) theory of “the state”, neither can we have a theory of the state which does not rest upon the conditions outside of the state itself, conditions in and through which the state emerged, evolved and continues to operate. However, since, all outcomes, all social change, are the result of the mutual effect of an array of human choices and actions, it is necessary to qualify this notion of the structural limits of state power with an understanding of real political process in concrete situations. Two conclusions flow from this. The first is the absolute necessity to explore all the dimension of agency and to recognise its real, at times decisive, effects. This involves concrete analysis of the political styles, personalities, belief systems and interests of the particular actors in question. However, the second is to acknowledge the real limits of agency. This requires the analyst to spell out the terms and the conditions and processes in and through which these limits impose themselves, to demonstrate how such limits shape new directions in the actions of the agents in question
Aesthetics · Economics · Epistemology · Law and economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Social science · Sociology · Spell · Computer Science · Foucault, Power, and Ethics · Law · Philosophy · Political Conflict and Governance · South African History and Culture
| Highly cited | No |
|---|