Week 7: Peer Review

This week I reviewed my peer's research and decided that this assignment has been my favorite thus far. I loved how different everyone's findings were, because we found topics that were closely related to our interests. With each piece I read/watched, I learned something completely new and incredibly useful about South Africa as well as my own classmates. At some point in time, I hope to look into every bit of research our class posted, but for now, I have reviewed pieces by Joanna, Elisa, Nestor, and Joshua.

Joanna's research: 
Grassroots and Intersectionality: the Foundations of the New Civil Rights Movement. This article discusses the acceleration of a new civil rights movement by younger generations and social media after several police-involved killings such as Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown.
http://www.afropunk.com/profiles/blogs/feature-grassroots-and-intersectionality-the-foundations-of-the


Elisa's research: 
Orania: South Africa's Whites Only Town. This video shows a town founded by Afrikaners for Africaners in 1991, just after the release of Mandela. Although appearing to be a racial construct, Orania's population is growing at 9% annually, and the town is protected by South Africa's constitution.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYbRZhymD5A

Not White Enough, Not Black Enough. This article offers a new perspective from the colored community, which makes up 9% of the country's population of 50.6 million. "18 years into democracy, many colored people feel that they benefit less from policies designed to redress past discrimination than black Africans." I enjoyed this article because it reminded me of the complexities of race in South Africa and I saw a glimpse from the perspective of the colored community rather than just black or white.
http://latitude.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/in-south-africa-after-apartheid-colored-community-is-the-big-loser/?_r=0

Nestor's research: 
South Africa's Ticking Time Bomb. This article discusses the dangers of youth unemployment and economic inequality that South Africa is currently experiencing.
"The African National Congress, once the glue that held the nation together, is at war with itself. The labor unions have become stronger and more militant, particularly in the face of workers gunned down in a strike that shut down the platinum mines, the source of much of South Africa's wealth. The Youth League and the Communist Party have also railed against the division of rich and poor, and of the hopelessness of the young people."
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/world-report/2014/07/02/south-africas-major-problems-youth-unemployment-and-economic-inequality

Josh's research: 
Rachel Maddow talks about the history of apartheid in South Africa. I would recommend that everyone in the class watches this video.It is a huge recap of what we have learned about apartheid; I learned new pieces of information and the use of home footage is extremely powerful. From the Population Registration Act and passbook laws for blacks, to the Immorality Act, to the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act, to the massacre at Sharpeville, to the role of Nelson Mandela, Maddow offers a brief history of apartheid. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqCKIUogn6E&feature=youtu.be

Week 6: Research

Because education is such a passion of mine, I chose to research about the effects of apartheid in the school system. Stark differences in educational resources, practices and outcomes across wealthier and poorer schools remain common. Here are the two articles that analyze the right to education in South Africa (both long but worth the read!)

Race differences in educational attainment of youth aged 7–18 in post-apartheid South Africa: The role of family structure, resources and school quality
"Even though the democratic government has persistently pursued policies to ensure educational access and equality, the apartheid legacy remains in areas such as educational financing, administration and the delivery of services."

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/21528586.2014.887917


The complexity of human rights in global times: The case of the right to education in South Africa
"It is ironic that this plethora of declarations signals that the right to education, re-framed as ‘education for all’, remains to be achieved...The problems of inequality and poor quality in the South African education system may similarly be used to contribute to an agenda for change."

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738059309000935


Another article I found analyzes the rise and fall of income poverty, high (and worsening) inequality, the Human Development Index, unemployment and a strong demand for skilled labor, an unequal education system, and pro-poor social policies. It is very long and dense but provides incredible detail and insight into the specifics of the Democratic South Africa.

Poverty and Inequality After Apartheid
"The effects of unemployment on poverty are accentuated by the growth of an ‘underclass’ of people who suffer systematic disadvantage in the labor market with the result that they face no real possibility of escaping from poverty."

http://www.sarpn.org/documents/d0003024/Poverty_inequality_Seekings_Sep2007.pdf