Social Identity Theory as a Theory of Change: The Case of South Africa

Abstract

In this chapter, we argue that the construction of oppressed identities gives rise to a set of cognitive alternatives which enable social change. We use this argument to explain how South Africa’s liberation movement became possible. We also outline how the identity category and the social change belief system that were forged in the struggle against apartheid have been reformulated and reinvigorated in the post-apartheid context by marginalised groups and South Africa’s political leadership. Using three recent examples of social mobilisations we illustrate that the discourse of oppressed identities can be flexibly tailored to diverse race, class and political interests, and can even be used by the relatively privileged to mobilise others towards social change. The chapter illustrates that in order to understand how oppressed identities develop and are used it is important to analyse the rhetoric through which they are constructed.