Revisiting tradition, reconstructing identity? afrikaner nationalism and political transition in south africa

Recent theories of democratic consolidation stress the importance of elite accommodation between contending groups; thus they emphasise group cohesion and solidarity. However, the process of transition itself involves political schisms within authoritarian groups which complicate group identification for institutionalising groupbased politics. This is shown in the case of Afrikaner nationalism. Intensifying tensions in the 1980s between a race-based nationalist ideology, its institutional vehicle (the National Party) and its raison d'etre (control of state power) show how political shifts came to be interpreted as cultural betrayal, forcing a split in the cultural politics of the group. These schisms assailed core cultural traditions of the group, destabilising the bonds of group cohesion. They have not been resolved, and the group’s political identity remains a focus of intra-group contestation. Against this background, it is difficult to design appropriate institutions for mediation based on groups. The danger is that group-based institutions may consolidate new group politics, or impede democratic consolidation.