Democratization in South Africa : the elusive social contract / Timothy D. Sisk.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sisk, Timothy D., 1960- author.

Series:

Princeton legacy library.

Princeton Legacy Library

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy--South Africa.

Democracy.

Democratization--South Africa.

Democratization.

Social contract.

South Africa--Politics and government--1989-1994.

South Africa.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (359 pages) : illustrations, maps.

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, 2017.

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Timothy Sisk presents a new way of conceiving the transition to democracy in South Africa. Unlike authors such as Horowitz and Lijphart, who have sought to prescribe an ideal set of post-apartheid political institutions, Sisk asks what kinds of institutions show signs of actually emerging, given recent history and present realities. He treats the problem of constructing a democratic post-apartheid society in South Africa as part of a larger condition common to societies deeply divided by ethnic, religious, racial, or national discord. Though its profound cleavages of race and class make it a "least likely" candidate for conflict resolution through democratization, Sisk argues that the centripetal pull on moderate politicians of all parties was greater than the seemingly natural polarizing trend in a divided society. This centripetal pull led to the adoption of an interim constitution in 1993 after protracted negotiations. An American Fulbright scholar sent to South Africa after the end of the 21-year rupture of official scholarly exchanges between the two countries, Sisk analyzes the changes in the strategic calculations of the white minority government, the black liberation movement, and other parties over the course of negotiations since 1990. He concludes that intermittent upsurges of violence often reinforced, rather than reduced, the incentives of leaders on both sides to negotiate a settlement that would avoid mutually damaging outcomes. Drawing on extensive interviews with political figures, as well as other primary and secondary sources, Sisk finds reason for hope that a democratic social contract can evolve, balancing majority rule with minority representation and guaranteeing equal economic opportunity and social justice.Originally published in 1994.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

List of Figures and Tables

Preface

List of Abbreviations

Map of South Africa, Including Black Homelands

Introduction

Chapter 1. Democratization in Divided Societies

Chapter 2. From Apartheid to Negotiation

Chapter 3. The Uncertain Interregnum

Chapter 4. Parties, Interests, and Institutional Choices: 1991

Chapter 5. Parties, Interests, and Institutional Choices: 1991

Chapter 6. The Democratization Pact

Chapter 7. A Social Contract?

Chapter 8. South Africa and the Politics of Divided Societies

Epilogue

Appendix. South Africa in Transition, 1989-1993: A Negotiation Chronology

List of Interviews

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 08. Jul 2019)

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780691654003

069165400X

9780691606224

0691606226

OCLC:

1016791417