Non-racialism and race/ Raymond Suttner
Posted by Celia Walter | 23 Sep, 2011In current public discourse ‘race’, ‘playing the race card’, ‘re-racialisation’, elections as a ‘racial census’ are often heard. Many commentators object to the continued reference to black or white. Mention of race is claimed to be antagonistic to the principle of non-racialism which is constitutionally entrenched.
Many suggest that the sooner we move away from ‘racial thinking’ the better and the swifter will we implement the principle of non-racialism. The spirit of the World Cup where amity between the peoples of South Africa supposedly reigned is invoked against ‘race fixation’.
According to this understanding, reference to race destroys unity and non-racialism. The meaning of non-racialism is taken to signify disappearance of race as an important feature of South African social realities.
But does advancing the principle of non-racialism mean erasure of differentiated racial experiences and realities of the past, which persist in the present?...[More] From Polity.org.za
From Celia: A must read article
Raymond Suttner is a part-time visiting Professor at Rhodes University and emeritus professor at UNISA. He is a former political prisoner, underground operative and leader in the ANC and SACP. His email address is rsuttner@worldonline.co.za.