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Being White in South Africa I Being White in South Africa i Being white in the new South Africa: The experience of a group young Afrikaners by Ehrhard Visser Student number: 24077985 A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Ph.D) IN PSYCHOLOGY In the Department of Psychology at UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA FACULTY OF HUMANITIES SUPERVISOR: Prof. Norman Duncan PRETORIA JULY 2018 Being White in South Africa ii DECLARATION I, Ehrhard Visser, declare that this thesis (Being white in the new South Africa: The experience of a group young Afrikaners) is my own work except as indicated in the references and acknowledgements. It is submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Psychology to the University of Pretoria. It has not been submitted before for any other degree or examination in this or any other university. ............................................... EHRHARD VISSER 24077985 ON THE .................... DAY OF ...................................... 2018 Being White in South Africa iii In antwoord op jou roepstem… Being White in South Africa iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A very wise man once told me that undertaking a Ph.D is one of the most difficult and loneliest journeys anyone can choose to embark on. He was right. Needless to say, an intellectual work of this complex, challenging and sensitive nature is intense and all-comsuming on a whole different level and would never have been possible without the continuous support from a number of individuals. I wish to convey my sincere appreciation and thanks to the following people and institutions without whom this dissertation would never have materialised. My mother Susan Visser, for your unconditional love, support, motivation, for just always being there when I need you and for being the best grade 1 teacher I could have hoped for! Dankie dat ma my geleer lees en skryf het! My brother Nardus and sista Liza, for all your interest and insights over especially the last couple of years. To my aunts and unlce, Ounooi, Gerrie and Wallie, thank you for all the prayers and messages of inspiration. Those served me well in some of the darkest hours! To all my friends, Melani, Tinus, Gerhard, Joubert, Werner, but especially Francois, with whom I often engaged until the small hours of the morning over a smoke and a brandy and coke or glass of red, always in front of a fire. Your continuous interest and support have constantly been a source of motivation, especially when I felt like this project was too big a solitary burden to bear. Being White in South Africa v My colleagues over the years, especially Deon Herbst, Patrick Chiroro, Tronel van der Sandt, Stella Nyathikhazi, Priscilla Mdlalose, Lisebo Matlali and Lizelle Coetzer, for all the support and motivational discussions in the office, gardens, corridors, parking lots and on rooftops. My supervisor, Prof Norman Duncan, for his inspirational guidance, support, example of excellence, and for challenging me to grow towards higher levels of understanding the areas of race, society, critical discourse analysis and the field of social psychology. Prof David Maree, who without hesitation came to the rescue at the very last moment and ensured a safe passage over the final administrative hurdles. Prof, as always you have proved yourself to be a legend! Binesh Hash and the team at Editing Press for their patience, endurance, attention to detail and ability to always stick to the tightest of deadlines. To my participants, baie baie dankie dat julle braaf genoeg was en my genoeg vertrou het om jul persoonlikke ervaringe en gevoellens so openlik en reguit te deel. Mag jul stemme al hoe harder word!!! Kinross, for making me who I am. The Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ for blessing me abundantly and for giving me endurance on this challenging journey and amidst multiple pressures. I am extremely thankful! Being White in South Africa vi Abstract This study aimed at uncovering what it means to be white within the context of post- Apartheid South Africa through examining the perceptions, beliefs, and experiences held by a group of young Afrikaners (the first democratic Afrikaner generation or 1DAGs). Framed within the social constructionist paradigm, this study employed Critical Discourse Analysis as overall methodological framework for analysing participants’ discourses. In contributing to the development and refinement of appropriate and effective methodological procedures for the generation of quality rich data, the study employed “hanging out,” a conventional sociological data gathering methodology, also adapting this procedure to an online version, i.e. “hanging out online”. Seven discursive themes emerged from participants’ accounts, which fundamentally served to describe: (i) perceptions of the current South African social formation and the associated position of the Afrikaner (whites) and the “other,” (ii) perceptions of the ways in which the majority ruling party utilise their position(s) of political power, (iii) the threats 1DAGs experience, and (iv) the impact of their subjective beliefs and associated experiences on their self and group-based perceptions. Deeper critical engagement with these texts revealed possible contradictions and oppositions within the data, which have exposed the potential for alternative meanings or interpretations to emerge. Findings from this investigation indicate that, for this particular group, whiteness in post-Apartheid South Africa is perceived as a burden, and that being white in the new South Africa relates to being oppressed and having to manoeuvre and manage such oppressive conditions in order to have space to strive for a meaningful existence. Being White in South Africa vii KEYWORDS: Afrikaners, white South Africans, whiteness, critical discourse analysis, social constructionism, discourse, power, ideology, meaning, reflexivity Being White in South Africa viii Table Of Contents CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1 1. ORIENTATION ................................................................................................... 1 2. SOME NOTES ON TERMINOLOGY .................................................................. 8 3. PROBLEM STATEMENT .................................................................................. 11 4. AIMS, OBJECTIVES, AND JUSTIFICATION .................................................... 12 5. CHAPTER OUTLINE ........................................................................................ 14 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................... 18 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 18 2. AFRIKANER PERCEPTIONS OF THREATS, UNCERTAINTY, AND CRISIS: .... A BRIEF HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ............................................................ 27 3. AFRIKANER EXPERIENCES OF THREAT, UNCERTAINTY, ............................. AND CRISIS POST-APARTHEID ..................................................................... 34 4. HISTORICAL CONSCIOUSNESS AND POST-APARTHEID SUBJECTIVITY . 50 5. CONCLUSION .................................................................................................. 54 CHAPTER 3: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ........................................................ 59 1. INTRODUCTION: ............................................................................................. 59 2. DEFINITIONS, DEMARCATIONS, AND POINTS OF DEPARTURE ................ 59 3. ESTABLISHING THE THEORETICAL CO-ORDINATES OF THE STUDY ...... 71 CHAPTER 4: METHODOLOGY .............................................................................. 86 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 86 2. METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH ................................................................... 86 3. DATA COLLECTION ...................................................................................... 113 4. DATA ANALYSIS ............................................................................................ 132 5. TRUSTWORTHINESS .................................................................................... 142 6. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS ........................................................................ 147 7. REFLEXIVITY ................................................................................................. 155 CHAPTER 5: CONTEXTUALISATION .................................................................. 157 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 157 2. THE RISE OF THE AFRIKANER .................................................................... 158 3. APARTHEID ................................................................................................... 165 4. POST-APARTHEID TRANSFORMATION ...................................................... 172 5. CURRENT CONTEXT .................................................................................... 175 Being White in South Africa ix CHAPTER 6: ANALYSIS REPORT ....................................................................... 191 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 191 2. DISCURSIVE THEMES .................................................................................. 191 3. DISCURSIVE INSTABILITY AND DISCONTINUITY .....................................
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