This study involves a critical analysis of the implications of the assumptions of social identity theory and related theories for ethnic identification and intergroup relations during the period of socio-political change in South Africa. Using data from a survey conducted on the eve of the new dispensation, the authors investigated the factors that influence ethnic identification in three groups. Two random samples of 460 whites (347 Afrikaans speaking and 113 English speaking) and 466 blacks in urban Gauteng were involved. Although the validity of some assumptions of social identity theory regarding groups in real life have been confirmed, the findings also point to the need for more complex models that take into consideration the interplay between personal, developmental, social, economic and political factors.
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