Racial alienation and the psychology of oppression in Mzansi

Abstract

Freedom, sovereignty, liberation, democracy, these are some of the terms that have been used to describe post-independence experiences in Africa. In this study, the researcher moves from the premise that freedom resulting from the processes of struggle ought to facilitate conditions for individual self-realisation and prosperity. As a number of critical commentaries have observed, however, post-independence social reality has not changed the lives of formerly oppressed peoples in any meaningful way. Instead, it has seen the continuation of social marginality under the guise of independence and democracy. This article reports on part of the investigation done for a Doctoral thesis (Ndlovu 2017) focusing on the concept of alienation in the work of the psychiatrist, Frantz Fanon. A qualitative research approach in particular, a case study design, was undertaken in order to understand the manifestation and extent of alienation within the South African context. The study found that, owing to the legacy of apartheid, the majority of South Africans still live in a state of despair and that genuine freedom, self-legislation remains elusive for majority of the population.

Keywords: Independence, South Africa, freedom, despair, oppression