Reconciliation and Building a Sustainable Peace: Competing Worldviews in South Africa and Beyond (Palgrave Studies in Compromise after Conflict)

This book explores how competing worldviews impact on intergroup relations and building a sustainable peace in culturally diverse societies. It raises the question of what happens in a culturally diverse society when competing values and ways of interpreting reality collide and what this means for peace-building and the goal of reconciliation. Moreover, it provides a valuable and needed contribution to how peace-building interventions can become more sustainable if tied into local values and embedded in a society's system of meaning-making. The book engages with questions relating to the extent transitional policies speak to universal values and individualist societies and the implications this might have for how they are implemented in collective societies with different values and forms of social organisation. It raises the question of cultural equality and transformation and whether or not this is something that needs to be addressed within peace-building theory. It argues that inculcating worldview into peace-building theory and practice is a vital part of restoring dignity and promoting healing among victims and formerly oppressed groups. This book, therefore, makes an important contribution to what is at best a partially researched topic by providing a deeper understanding of how identity and culture intersect with peace-building when seeking to build a sustainable peace.-- Provided by publisher Acknowledgements 7 Contents 9 Abbreviations 11 List of Figures 13 List of Tables 14 Series Editor’s Introduction 15 1 Introduction: The Significance of Cultural Diversity on Peace-Building in Divided Societies 19 1.1 Book Rationale 21 1.2 Notes on Methodology 26 1.3 Terminology Employed 29 1.4 Structure of Book 31 References 33 2 The Rainbow Nation: Identity, Intergroup Relations and Worldviews in South Africa 38 2.1 Interpreting Apartheid 39 2.2 The Rainbow Nation: South Africa’s Transition to Democracy 45 2.3 The End of the Rainbow? Intergroup Relations in the ‘New’ South Africa 52 2.4 Conclusion 55 References 56 3 Anchoring Concepts: Sustainable Peace, Identity, Culture and Worldview 63 3.1 Sustainable Peace 64 3.2 Identity 68 3.3 Culture 71 3.4 Worldview 74 3.5 The Relationship Between Identity, Culture, Worldview and Intergroup Conflict 81 References 86 4 Worldview Diversity Within South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission 98 4.1 Western Worldviews: Western Liberalism and Nationalism 99 4.2 Interconnected Worldviews: The Ubuntu Philosophy 100 4.3 A Worldview Analysis of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 105 References 109 5 Exploring the Diversity of Worldviews in South Africa 114 5.1 Ontological Orientation: Scientific or Interconnected? 115 5.2 Unit of Survival and Accountability: The Individual or the Collective? 119 5.3 Social Organisation: Hierarchical or Lateral? 123 5.4 Activity Orientation: Relationship or Rule Priority? 126 5.5 Temporal Orientation: Past or Future? 130 5.6 Worldview Diversity in South Africa 133 References 135 6 Through the Eyes of the ‘Other’: Interpreting Peace and What Is Required for Building a Sustainable Peace 137 6.1 Relational Pillars of Sustainable Peace 139 Understanding the ‘Other’ 140 Encounter and Engagement 143 Peace Education 146 Respect 147 Cultural Equality 151 Healing from the Past 153 6.2 Structural Pillars 154 Good Governance and Accountability 154 Civic Responsibility 157 National Unity 158 Past Redress 161 Socio-Economic Development 164 6.3 Interpreting Peace Through the Lens of Worldview 166 References 170 7 Transitional Policies, Group Identity and Intergroup Relations 177 7.1 Shifting Identities: The Beginnings of Classism and the Division of ‘Black’ Identity 180 7.2 Equal Opportunities: Unequal and Hardened Intergroup Relations 182 7.3 Fixing of Identities 186 7.4 Gendered Identities 189 7.5 The Influence of Transitional Policies on Identity and Intergroup Relations 191 References 194 8 Contributions and Recommendations: A Worldview Perspective for Peace-Building and Reconciliation in South Africa and Beyond 198 8.1 Contributions and Recommendations to Peace-Building Theory and Practice 200 8.2 Competing Worldviews Beyond South Africa 205 8.3 Conclusion 209 References 210 Index 213 This book explores how competing worldviews impact upon intergroup relations and the building of sustainable peace in culturally diverse societies. It raises questions about what happens in a culturally diverse society when competing values and ways of interpreting reality collide, and what this means for peace-building and the goal of reconciliation. Moreover, it provides a valuable and necessary contribution to discussion around how peace-building interventions can become more sustainable if tied into local values, and embedded in a society's system of meaning-making. This book asks to what extent transitional policies speak to universal values and individualist societies, and asks what implications this may have for how they are implemented in collective societies with different values and forms of social organisation. It raises the question of cultural equality and transformation and whether or not this is something that needs to be addressed within peace-building theory. It argues that inculcating worldview into peace-building theory and practice is a vital part of restoring dignity and promoting healing among victims and formerly oppressed groups. This book, therefore, makes an important contribution to an under-researched topic by providing a deeper understanding of how identity and culture intersect with peace-building when seeking to build a sustainable peace Front Matter ....Pages i-xx Introduction: The Significance of Cultural Diversity on Peace-Building in Divided Societies (Cathy Bollaert)....Pages 1-19 The Rainbow Nation: Identity, Intergroup Relations and Worldviews in South Africa (Cathy Bollaert)....Pages 21-45 Anchoring Concepts: Sustainable Peace, Identity, Culture and Worldview (Cathy Bollaert)....Pages 47-81 Worldview Diversity Within South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Cathy Bollaert)....Pages 83-98 Exploring the Diversity of Worldviews in South Africa (Cathy Bollaert)....Pages 99-121 Through the Eyes of the ‘Other’: Interpreting Peace and What Is Required for Building a Sustainable Peace (Cathy Bollaert)....Pages 123-162 Transitional Policies, Group Identity and Intergroup Relations (Cathy Bollaert)....Pages 163-183 Contributions and Recommendations: A Worldview Perspective for Peace-Building and Reconciliation in South Africa and Beyond (Cathy Bollaert)....Pages 185-199 Back Matter ....Pages 201-209