Date of Submission
Spring 2022
Academic Program
Environmental and Urban Studies
Project Advisor 1
Sanjaya DeSilva
Abstract/Artist's Statement
This paper examines how South Africa’s political and economic orientation following the nation’s democratization in 1994 enabled a continuation of Apartheid-era patterns in the City of Johannesburg. In particular, it contends that governmental decentralization, neoliberalism, and global city aspirations—enshrined in both local and national policy documents—turned attention away from addressing internal deprivations. Rather than redistributing social and economic power, uplifting the Black-majority, and allowing urban stakeholders to play a central role in policy formation and decision-making, Johannesburg’s City Government catered to elite outside interests, effectively introducing new forms of segmentation and disenfranchisement. Although the African National Congress committed to transform South Africa into a Rainbow Nation characterized by racial equality, social cohesion, and peace, this promise remains unfulfilled nearly three decades after the fall of Apartheid.
Open Access Agreement
Open Access
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Eugley, Ashley May, "The Elusive Rainbow Nation: Assessing Post-Apartheid Reconstruction Strategies in Johannesburg, South Africa" (2022). Senior Projects Spring 2022. 137.
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2022/137
This work is protected by a Creative Commons license. Any use not permitted under that license is prohibited.
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