National identity in a changing South Africa : a study of 'new' right discourse

Roper, Ken

National identity in a changing South Africa : a study of 'new' right discourse

Master Thesis

1997

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of Psychology

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

This study considers the process of constructing a new South African national identity in the political discourse of the 'new' right-wing during the transitional period between 1990 and 1994. It is concerned with how speakers for the "new" Nationalist Party who were implicated in the production of national identity within the framework of an apartheid ideology discursively construct and reconstruct national identity during this period of transition. The focus is on key political speeches and interviews given by party leader F. W. De Klerk. National identity is approached from a social psychological perspective and the study argues for a theory of identity as discursively produced within a specific historical context and relations of power. Texts are analysed using a discourse analytic approach. The analysis considers the interpretative resources and discursive practices deployed in the constructive process. Particular attention is given to the rhetorical construction of the discourse and the argumentative context within which versions of identity are produced. An interpretative link is made between the results of this analysis and the positioning of speakers within ideology and relations of power. The analysis shows how the 'new' social category produced in this right-wing discourse is rooted in earlier representations of identity and is constructed to maintain earlier divisions and relations. Old and entrenched constructions of national identity, based in ethnicity, remain present in attempts to redefine an inclusive South African identity. A function of this construction is to speak to the right-wing as part of a strategy to manage negotiations.

Description

Bibliography: 201-215.

Keywords

Psychology

Reference:

Collections

Masters

Full item page