Democracy and Apartheid : Political Theory, Comparative Politics and the Modern South African State

South Africa's 1994 election was widely hailed around the world as miraculous. In this book, Anthony Butler examines South African experiences to cast doubt on this celebratory attitude to democracy. Contemporary political analysis highlights the benefits that democracy can sometimes bring. Butler, by contrast, argues that democracy can be malign. He attacks the myth that democracy ended apartheid, and shows that democratic practices themselves contributed to its evils. The author also explores weaknesses in political science as a discipline. This book will be essential reading for specialists in South Africa, and will appeal to political theorists, students of comparative politics, and historians. Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction....Pages 1-5 A Periodization of South African History....Pages 6-29 Historical Debates and Political Analysis....Pages 30-53 Democracy and Apartheid....Pages 54-85 Analysing Democratic Transitions....Pages 86-104 Political Science and the End of Apartheid....Pages 105-126 The Failure of Political Science....Pages 127-155 Conclusions....Pages 156-175 Back Matter....Pages 176-212