Racism as epithet in the context of post-apartheid's demographic parity goals

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Periodical article

Title:	Racism as epithet in the context of post-apartheid's demographic parity goals
Author:	Spiegel, Andrew
Year:	2008
Periodical:	Anthropology Southern Africa
Volume:	31
Issue:	3-4
Pages:	103-113
Language:	English
Geographic term:	South Africa
Subjects:	racism affirmative action labour law legislation 1990-1999 2000-2009
Abstract:	Nearly 20 years after the capitulation of the apartheid State, South Africa's postapartheid government continues to find it necessary to seek means to direct change in the demographic profile of the country's leading institutions towards a situation where it reflects the national demographic profile. Among those is legislation to achieve what is known as employment equity - which has been criticized for being a reverse form of racism. This article outlines some of the features of that legislation and various policies that have been introduced in order to realize its goals, considering some of the rhetoric that has followed in which those policies as well as their implementation have been described as racist. And it raises questions about how one should understand racism in such a context, arguing that racism is always historically situated and reflects power struggles through categorization. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]