‘Racialised’ Discourses: Understanding Perceptions of Threat in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Abstract

Since 1993 there have been increasing reports of ‘racial’ tensions within South Africa's black populace. Blacks labelled as ‘coloured’ appear to be expressing increased perceptions of ‘racial’ threat in relation to blacks labelled as ‘African’. As discourse is one of the mechanisms through which racist ideology is reproduced, this study examined the ‘racialised’ discourses of seven black adults (i.e. ‘coloureds’) from a Western Cape community. The study, which was conducted in 1995, explored how participants spoke about ‘other’ blacks (i.e. ‘Africans’) and whether representations of ‘racial’ threat were evident within these discourses. Discourse analysis was employed within a hermeneutic framework when interpreting the functions and social significance of the discourses. The discursive themes reflected perceived threat of the ‘other’, but appeared to function defensively for participants, who fear marginalisation in post-apartheid South Africa. The findings emphasise the need for addressing racism at broader social levels, rather than through problematising specific social groups. Introduction