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Last of the JEDI's: “Coloured” Women's Active Representation in Apartheid's Public Education Sector

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  • Karen Johnston

Abstract

The South African apartheid regime racially organized society into race categories—one being “Coloured” to denote people of mixed‐race heritage. The term “Coloured,” even in contemporary South Africa, is a contentious categorization given the racist legacy of apartheid. This article documents the lives of “Coloured” women who struggled against apartheid whilst employed in apartheid's public education sector. The study involved interviews with 12 women, now elderly (age range 60–85 years), recruited through personal networks. They reflected upon their careers as public servants and their struggle against apartheid, which was often at great risk to their safety. The study, employing interpretivist methodology and thematic analysis, explores the nexus of representation and intersectional identity of race, class, and gender, and the women's struggle for justice, equality, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI). The study showed that the women were not subservient public servants but subversive. Drawing upon the theory of representative bureaucracy, the article argues that the women undermined apartheid through hyper‐responsive active representation, using discretionary power, through shared intersectional identity of a marginalized group and value congruence.

Suggested Citation

  • Karen Johnston, 2026. "Last of the JEDI's: “Coloured” Women's Active Representation in Apartheid's Public Education Sector," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 1569-1579, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:33:y:2026:i:4:p:1569-1579
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.70141
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Corinne Schwarz, 2021. "Client care strategies, stressors, and solutions in frontline anti‐trafficking work," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 523-546, March.
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