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STATE, CIVIL SOCIETY and APARTHEID in SOUTH AFRICA State, Civil Society and Apartheid in South Africa an Examination of Dutch Reformed Church-State Relations

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STATE, CIVIL SOCIETY and APARTHEID in SOUTH AFRICA State, Civil Society and Apartheid in South Africa an Examination of Dutch Reformed Church-State Relations STATE, CIVIL SOCIETY AND APARTHEID IN SOUTH AFRICA State, Civil Society and Apartheid in South Africa An Examination of Dutch Reformed Church-State Relations Tracy Kuperus Assistllllt Pro!i'.\sor Political Studies De['arlllll'llt Gordoll Cullege Wenham. MA USA First published in Great Britain 1999 by MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978-1-349-40600-5 ISBN 978-0-230-37373-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230373730 ---------------------_.. --- First published in the United States of America 1999 by ST. MARTIN'S PRESS, INC., Scholarly and Reference Division, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 ISBN 978-0-312-21883-6 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kuperus, Tracy, 1967- State, civil society and apartheid in South Africa: an examination of Dutch Reformed Church-state relations I Tracy Kuperus. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-312-21883-6 I. Apartheid-South Africa-History. 2. Race relations-Religious aspects-Reformed Church. 3. Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk­ -History-20th century. 4. Christianity and politics-South Africa- -History-20th century. I. Title. DTl757.K86 1999 305. 8 'OO968-<Jc2I 98-46443 CIP © Tracy Kuperus 1999 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1999978-0-333-72649-5 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London WIP 9HE. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. 109876543 2 I 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 00 99 In the loving memory of my father, Fred Kuperus (1924-98), for his deep faith, humility, and integrity Contents Preface ix Acknowledgements xv List ofAbbreviations and Acronyms XVll 1. State-Civil Society Relations within South Africa 1 2. The NGK's Development within Afrikaner Civil Society (1910-33) 22 3. NGK-State Relations during UP Governance (1934-47) 47 4. NGK-State Relations during Apartheid's Early Years (1948-61) 76 5. NGK-State Relations during Apartheid's Height (1962-78) 103 6. NGK-State Relations during Apartheid's Demise (1979-94) 120 7. Conclusion 153 Appendices 166 Notes 169 Select Bibliography 199 Index 205 VII Preface This book focuses on the interaction of dominant groups within a church, the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk (NGK), otherwise known as the Dutch Reformed Church, and the South African state over a 60-year period within the broader context of state-civil society rela­ tions. The unique relationship between factions controlling the NGK and the South African state merits considerable attention, especially regarding the development of race policy, and large portions of this book address this relationship in depth. Special attention, however, is given to how NGK-state relations are situated within a wider state-civil society context. State-civil society debates have re-emerged within the phenomenon of regime change that has swept across many areas of the world over the past few decades. Civil society has become an important factor in understanding regime change because many claim that it strengthens already existing democracies and/or demands democratic change from authoritarian regimes. But the use of this concept has brought with it considerable ambiguity. For example, what is civil society, what is its purpose, and is civil society necessary to the proper functioning of a democracy? An examination of these questions is the theoretical focus of this book. Liberal or mainstream scholars provide the dominant insights con­ cerning the purpose and function of civil society, as well as the rela­ tional dynamics between state, civil society, and democracy. Civil society is believed to be a necessary but not sufficient condition to the establishment of democracy. It is defined as a sphere of activity or conglomeration of associations that can resist an authoritarian regime, thus creating a conducive environment for political Iiheralization and abetting a democratic transition, or civil society is viewed as a particu­ lar mix of associational life that helps strengthen or consolidate democracy by fostering civility or holding an overcentralized state accountable. To be effective, civil society must be liberated from an overcentralized state, and a viable democracy can be achieved if an autonomous, properly constrained civil society is nurtured. An examination of South Africa's state-civil society relations can enlarge our understanding of the assumptions undergirding state-civil society literature. While civil society literature adequately explains the ix x Preface nature, role, and purpose of civil society in a society committed to genuine pluralism, one that is basically constructed along liberal democratic lines, it has not explained extensively the role. nature, and purpose of civil society in an authoritarian regime or a limited democ­ racy. The comparative, historical examination of state-NGK relations from 1934 to 1994 allows for the analysis of the operation of a civil society institution in a limited, race-based democracy, and it reveals that some of the active, above-ground civil society institutions resisted the development of widespread democracy because they were com­ mitted to the narrow, ethnic interests of white South Africans. Second, South African state-NGK relations will be analyzed with respect to the variety of factions contained within the NGK and state that held unique and divergent perspectives concerning race policy formation and political reform. It was the politicking among the divergent fac­ tions over material, social and politieal issues that explains nuanced state-NGK relations from 1934 to 1994. Finally, a survey of state-civil society relations in South Africa - or any other country for that matter - shows that state-civil society relations extend far beyond the out­ comes of conftict or cooperation. In Chapter 1, I posit a typology of state-civil society relations which begins to unravel the rich variety of state-civil society relations. According to the typology, state-civil society relations can be described in terms of cooperation, conflict, or some mix of the two. Six dominant state-civil society interactions result, which include collabo­ ration, mutual engagement, balanced pluralism, coexisting conflict, conflictual resistance, and enforced disengagement. The six interac­ tions are measured by policy collusion/conflict and official/unofficial interaction among leaders and groups ruling state and civil society institutions. This continuum of state-civil society relations helps explain the dif­ ferent civil society organizations' interactions with the groups dom­ inating the white minority government within the South African state over time, including the Christian Institute, Black Sash, and the Congress of South African Trade Unions. The latter interactions were basically conftictual, but what of the civil society institutions that engaged with groups dominating the white minority government within the South African state during the last 50 or 60 years? My research addresses one such civil society institution: the Nederduitse Gerefonneerde Kerk (NGK). Although the NGK existed primarily to meet the spiritual needs of the Afrikaner people, this church also helped legitimate the state Preface Xl during the years of segregation and apartheid through such things as NGK leaders' involvement in constructing 'apartheid theology' and their support for specific governmental policies. In assessing NGK-state relations, I have tried to delineate the various theological, ideological, and political perspectives or factions within both the NGK and the state. It is easy to portray the South African state and the NGK as monolithic institutions, however, I am aware that each entity contained numerous 'political' groups whose interrelationships begin to unravel the complexities of NGK-state relations, which I will try to describe and explain accurately. This research, then, addresses two principal concerns. First, it exam­ ines how and why the NGK's relationship to the groups within the white minority government dominating the South Mrican state changed in conjunction with the development of race policy from 1934 to 1994. Second, the case study engages with a broader body of literature on state--civil society relations that promotes discussion concerning the rise of civil society and its connection to democracy. The typology and argu­ ments developed in this book demonstrate that state--civil society rela­ tions are more complex and ever-changing than generally realized. Additionally, civil society can and does exist in an authoritarian situ­ ation, although its function and purpose will be different from that of civil society within a democratic situation, and it can deter the establish­ ment of democracy in the
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