Chieftaincy, the state, and democracy : political legitimacy in post-apartheid South Africa / J. Michael Williams.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Williams, J. Michael, 1954-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Chiefdoms--South Africa.

Chiefdoms.

Local government--South Africa.

Local government.

South Africa.

Democracy--South Africa.

Democracy.

Post-apartheid era--South Africa.

Post-apartheid era.

South Africa--Social conditions--1994-.

Social conditions.

South Africa--Politics and government--1994-.

Politics and government.

Physical Description:

xii, 282 pages : map ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Bloomington : Indiana University Press, [2010]

Summary:

As South Africa consolidates its democracy, chieftaincy has remained a controversial and influential institution that has adapted to recent changes. J. Michael Williams examines the chieftaincy and how it has sought to assert its power since the end of apartheid. By taking local-level politics seriously and looking closely at how chiefs negotiate the new political order, Williams takes a position between those who see the chieftaincy as an indigenous democratic form deserving recognition and protection, and those who view it as incompatible with democracy. Williams describes a network of formal and informal accommodations that have influenced the ways state and local authorities interact. By focusing on local perceptions of the chieftaincy and its interactions with the state, Williams reveals an ongoing struggle for democratization at the local and national levels in South Africa.

J. Michael Williams is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of San Diego.

Contents:

1 Introduction: The Chieftaincy, the State, and the Desire to Dominate 1

2 "The Binding Together of the People": The Historical Development of the Chieftaincy and the Principle of Unity 39

3 The Making of a Mixed Polity: The Accommodation and Transformation of the Chieftaincy 80

4 The Contested Nature of Politics, Democracy, and Rights in Rural South Africa 108

5 The Chieftaincy and the Establishment of Local Government: Multiple Boundaries and the Ambiguities of Representation 137

6 The Chieftaincy and Development: Expanding the Parameters of Tradition 168

7 Legitimacy Lost? The Fall of a Chief and the Survival of a Chieftaincy 195

8 Conclusion: The Chieftaincy and the Post-Apartheid State: Legitimacy and Democracy in a Mixed Polity 217.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780253354181

0253354188

9780253221551

0253221552

OCLC:

313659031