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CIC Toronto: One decade forward, two decades back
March 5, 2020 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm EST

One decade forward, two decades back: race and redistribution in postapartheid South Africa | |||||
In the early 1990s, South Africa was the poster child for the revitalisation of democracy. The relatively peaceful end to formal apartheid led to a progressive and popular ANC government. Buttressed by a pathbreaking Constitution, the government seemed committed to the redistribution of power and resources and the building of a nonracial and nonsexist democracy. Twenty-five years later, the project of democracy is imperiled. The ideological framework of nonracialism that held together the ideals of egalitarianism is challenged by new forms of populist race talk. The government is barely able to deliver a range of basic services to citizens amid the worst economic crisis since the 1930s. And a fractured political opposition offers few answers. This talk addresses some of the institutional and political dilemmas of contemporary South Africa, and considers how a capable state might be built under conditions of deep mistrust and inequality.
About the speaker: About the lecture series: Around the world, democracies face serious challenges, old and new. Can we protect our constitutional democracies in an era of popular mistrust, severe partisanship and resurgent nationalism? Can they reduce inequalities of power, wealth and status, defend deep diversity and confront climate change in the new digital age? And can we develop innovative strategies to revitalize civic action and empower public institutions to renew the promise of democracy? This lecture will be recorded by CBC Radio One IDEAS. |
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WHEN: | March 5, 2020 I 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | ||||
WHERE: | The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto, 14 Elm Street, Toronto, ON 5G 1G7 | ||||
RSVP: | democracy-south-africa.eventbrite.ca | ||||