Final 1

Apartheid

China Brown

Southern New Hampshire University

I chose to evaluate the topic of apartheid in my historical event analysis activity. Apartheid was a political and governance approach that the white minorities used to gain hegemony over native tribes in South Africa. Some of the prominent characteristics of this policy approach included high levels of racial segregation, political oppression, and economic discrimination of the non-whites. Apartheid policies led to subdivision of South African residents into distinct racial castes that determined the socioeconomic status of the members. 

When evaluating the concept of apartheid, I will analyze some of the historical factors and trends that led to the adoption of such policies. I will also examine the various factors that influenced the persistence of this policy despite the high levels of activism and criticism from the global communities that were pushing for the independence of nations.

The issue of apartheid is essential because it reveals the social condition and life that individuals underwent because of the prominence of biased perspectives, stereotypes, and misconceptions between different human societies. The concept also helps to reveal numerous renowned characters such as nelson Mandela that gained high levels of fame and respect globally because of fighting against apartheid. 

Some of the terms that I used for the research included apartheid, race, South Africa, segregation, oppression, independence, and liberation, among others. The study considered the broad interplay of apartheid and racial policies within the South African contexts during the colonial era.

The primary sources that I will use for the study include “Precarious liberation: Workers, the state, and contested social citizenship in postapartheid South Africa” by Barchiesi (2011). The text covers numerous essential topics, including the contributions and struggles of workers as they tried to demolish the apartheid system. It also includes the emergence of widespread opposition and the nation’s progress towards representative democracy. This text is sufficient for analyzing the social, economic, and political struggles that South African natives suffered during this colonial era. The other primary source is “South Africa: The rise and fall of apartheid” by Clark and Worger (2013). This text presents a history of South Africa beginning 1948 when nationalists rose to power. It also explores the significant events that followed until the apartheid system collapsed in the 1990s. The text reveals the inherent contradictions of white supremacy and discusses the efforts of various opposition leaders such as Nelson Mandela that ended the reign of the white minority.

One of the valuable secondary sources that I used in the study included “Black and reformed: apartheid, liberation, and the Calvinist tradition” by Boesak (2015). The text presented numerous compelling and intriguing discussions regarding the economic, political, social, and theological pillars that supported apartheid in South Africa. Another essential book was “Black Student Politics: Higher Education and Apartheid from SASO to SANSCO” by Badat (2016). The text narrated about the participation of various locals, including students in activism against the apartheid regime. Another informative secondary source is “The ANC's War Against Apartheid: Umkhonto We Sizwe and the Liberation of South Africa” by Davis (2018). The text covers the political scope of the nation and the formation of various movements sworn to end colonial rule.

Thesis statement

Many scholars have evaluated the adverse effects of apartheid on the local communities in South Africa without considering the impact on imperialists. After a brief research undertaking, I have decided that the inquiry will be based on the following thesis: Although the apartheid presented a horrible era for South Africans, it represents one of the classical examples of domination and hegemony where the dominant group attempted to exert its power and influence over the natives through oppression and exploitation.

References

Badat, S. (2016). Black Student Politics: Higher Education and Apartheid from SASO to SANSCO, 1968-1990. Routledge.

Barchiesi, F. (2011). Precarious liberation: Workers, the state, and contested social citizenship in postapartheid South Africa. Suny Press.

Boesak, A. A. (2015). Black and reformed: apartheid, liberation, and the Calvinist tradition. Wipf and Stock Publishers.

Clark, N. L., & Worger, W. H. (2013). South Africa: The rise and fall of apartheid. Routledge.

Davis, S. R. (2018). The ANC's War Against Apartheid: Umkhonto We Sizwe and the Liberation of South Africa. Indiana University Press.