Between Non‐Racialism And Multiculturalism: Indian Identity And Nation Building In South Africa

The paper examines the rhetoric of nation‐building in South Africa with particular reference to the incorporation of South Africans of Indian descent into the post‐1994 political order. During its years as a protest movement, the ANC came to embrace ‘non‐racialism’, a doctrine emphasising a common South African identity, in order to provide a counter‐rhetoric to the racially exclusive doctrine of apartheid. However, the organisation had difficulty in garnering support from the Indian and Coloured communities during the transition to democratic rule. It increasingly adopted a multiculturalist conception of the South African nation and promoted the idea of the ‘rainbow nation’ in order to foster a sense of unity among South Africa's diverse population groups. This multicultural conception of the South African nation has met with some success. The majority of Indians voted for the ANC in the 2004 elections, shifting their political loyalties from the National and Democratic Parties in previous elections. This trend demonstrates an increasing identification among Indians with the African majority government. However, in spite of the ANC's success in courting the Indian vote in the 2004 elections, Indian‐African tensions have been fuelled by recent anti‐Indian rhetoric. The paper argues that a multiculturalism that does not address the material conditions that fuel class antagonisms will prove to be shallow in the present neo‐liberal policy climate.