The professionalization of political parties has significantly altered the means by which parties interact with voters and supporters. The current study is an attempt to examine what these changes in political communication mean for the ability of parties to organize supporters and mobilize them both in a campaign setting and in the longer-term struggle. Habermasian and Gramscian perspectives on the relational aspects of political communication highlight the challenges presented by the growing unidirectionality of communication and the concomitant atrophying of intermediary institutions. Beyond this, the work of Bottici and McLuhan is used to expose the effects of the 'arational' aspects of these changes in both form and content. To test the plausibility of the theoretical insights obtained, the case of the New Democratic Party of Canada is considered. The study concludes by considering the potential of new technological developments for resolving or mitigating concerns identified throughout the thesis. / Graduate

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Socio-economic transformation has been a central point on the agenda of the South African government since 1994. The deeply embedded inequality that is portrayed by socio-economic statistics of the time, justifies this mandate. The Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) strategy is meant to play a key role as an integrated legislative approach towards transformation. However, BEE is an emotionally laden subject that, as a strategy for transformation, attracts criticism from many different sources. The complexities surrounding BEE warrant us to ask whether the current approach towards socio-economic transformation (through BEE) is a legitimate way to address the problems of inequality, unemployment and poverty that the country face. Jürgen Habermas’s theory of democratic law provides us with a theoretical framework that we can use to understand the dynamics of BEE as instrument for transformation. According to Habermas, law can work as a mechanism of social integration in a democratic country like South Africa. Habermas argues that social integration can only take place through law if it is factual and normative at the same time. This also applies to BEE as a law in South Africa. For a law to be accepted as normative, it needs to be seen as legitimate, thus morally and ethically acceptable. These are all prerequisites for the legislated BEE strategy in order to enable social integration. The linkage of Habermas’s theory of democratic law and the practical example of BEE legislation in South Africa, leads to a better understanding of the complexities that surrounds the issue of institutionalised and legislated socio-economic transformation. It does not necessarily provide infallible solutions, but important insight into the current problems. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sedert 1994 is sosio-ekonomiese transformasie ‘n sentrale punt op die agenda van die Suid-Afrikaanse regering. Hierdie mandaat word geregverdig deur die diepliggende ongelykheid wat sigbaar is in die ontwikkelingstatistiek van die tyd. Die Swart Ekonomiese Bemagtiging (SEB) –strategie is veronderstel om ‘n sleutelrol te speel as ‘n geïntegreerde wetlike benadering tot transformasie. SEB is egter ‘n emosioneel-belaaide onderwerp wat as strategie vir transformasie kritiek ontlok van baie verskillende oorde. Die kompleksiteite rondom SEB regverdig ons om te vra of die huidige benadering tot sosio-ekonomiese transformasie (deur SEB) die mees legitieme manier is om die probleme van ongelykheid, werkloosheid en armoede aan te spreek wat die land in die gesig staar. Jürgen Habermas se teorie vir demokratiese regspraak dien as ‘n teoretiese raamwerk wat ons kan inspan om die dinamika van SEB as instrument vir transformasie te verstaan. Na aanleiding van Habermas kan wet werk as ‘n meganisme vir sosiale integrasie in ‘n demokratiese land soos Suid-Afrika. Habermas verduidelik verder dat sosiale integrasie net kan plaasvind deur ‘n wet as die wet terselftertyd feitelik en normatief is. Dit is ook van toepassing op SEB, as ‘n wet in Suid-Afrika. Vir ‘n wet om normatief te wees, moet dit gesien word as legitiem, dus moreel en eties aanvaarbaar. Hierdie is alles voorvereistes waaraan die wetlike SEB strategie moet voldoen om sosiale integrasie te kan bewerkstellig. Die analogie tussen Habermas se teorie vir ‘n demokratiese regstelsel en die praktiese voorbeeld van SEB in Suid-Afrika, lei tot beter begrip vir die kompleksiteite rondom die kwessie van geïnstitusionaliseerde en wetlike sosio-ekonomiese transformasie. Onfeilbare oplossings word nie noodwendig verskaf nie, maar wel insig in die huidige probleme.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T20:28:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Aline Lamha.pdf: 806293 bytes, checksum: 8e3154dc65032430a0ae9b6d0e5e453f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-03-12 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This thesis aims to analyze the need to create new perspectives for society and law, considering the challenges imposed by the present frame of economic globalization, characterized by over‐integration and under‐integration. In this sense, firstly it studies two alternative proposals towards a new global law. Following this study, it defends the need to rethink such theories, as well as to insert new variables to the debate, mainly due to the particularities verified in the peripheral regions of the globe, considering the existing interdependence in the society. It exposes as well the informationalism as the most evident characteristic of the contemporary global society, consequently recognizing the inevitability of the economic globalization and the importance of the technological innovation in such scenario. Finally, it proposes to re‐evaluate the priorities set by such social model (and, therefore, by the law), using the arsenal already formed by the information society towards the construction of a new knowledge society. We aim to demonstrate that such alternative presupposes the transfer of the focus from the purely economic achievements in detriment of the social ones, towards the expansion of the human capacities, evoking, therefore, the need to adapt the law to this new reality / Este trabalho objetiva analisar a necessidade de criação de novas perspectivas sociais e do direito, em face dos desafios postos pelo quadro atual de globalização econômica, marcado pela sobreintegração e subintegração. Deste modo, primeiramente estuda duas propostas alternativas para um novo direito global. Em seguida, defende a necessidade de repensar tais teorias, bem como a de inserir novas variáveis ao debate, notadamente por conta das particularidades verificadas nas regiões periféricas do globo, dada a interdependência existente na sociedade. Também expõe o informacionalismo como a característica mais evidente da sociedade mundial contemporânea, conseqüentemente reconhecendo a inevitabilidade da globalização econômica e a importância da inovação tecnológica nesse cenário. Por fim, propõe reavaliar as prioridades estabelecidas por este modelo social (e, assim, pelo direito), utilizando o arsenal já formado pela sociedade informacional para a construção de uma nova sociedade do conhecimento. Procuramos demonstrar que esta alternativa pressupõe a transferência de enfoque das realizações puramente econômicas em detrimento das sociais, para a ampliação das capacidades humanas, evocando, por conseguinte, a necessidade de adaptação do direito à referida nova realidade