The Impact of Racial Segregation in South Africa

Abstract

The thesis of this essay is: Differentiation based on race can still exist after legal segregation has been abolished, where South Africa will be discussed as an example of legal segregation and the aftermath of it. The theoretical focus is on Bourdieu´s theory of Habitus. His theory refers to how the system that we live in reproduces inequality. I begin by discussing the history of South Africa in chapter three, focusing on colonization, segregation, the reality of apartheid and how the oppression of South Africans began with white European settlers. I then explain the pervasive impact of apartheid and how it has especially affected the black population of South Africa. I come to the conclusion that differentiation based on race can still exist after legal segregation has been abolished as in the example of South Africa. The main outcome of my thesis is that Bourdieu´s theory of Habitus reflects the inequality that the black population still has to endure in South Africa.