A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of African Languages at the University Of Zululand, 2017 / The research is basically looking at respect and culture as building blocks of the Zulu nation. The main focus is on the impact of the historical and contemporary socio-cultural practices. Chapter one is the introduction of the research topic where the following sub-topics form part of the research proposal: background to the study, the problem statement, the purpose of the study, delimitation of the study, the study methodology, beneficiaries of the study, division of the chapters and the conclusion. Chapter two deals with formations and transformations in nation building by looking at beliefs, indigenous knowledge systems, mythology, culture and history. Chapter three is based on Whites supremacism and its influence on social , political, historical and industrial patterns. Whites came with systems aimed at controlling the psychological reactions of Africans and conditioning them to think of their culture as inferior and inadequate to deal with challenges that face them. Chapter four is looking at home as the point of departure for all socio-cultural activities. Family is home based and a key for social unit. Home is viewed as the source of primary education where respect is learned. Chapter five is based on the promotion, consolidation, development and valuing of cultural heritage, norms and values by utilization of available resources in order to restore culture of respect. Chapter six deals with the challenges facing the culture of respect which derive from misinterpretation of human rights acts, high level of crime, the abuse of drugs and alcohol, imperial ideologies, urbanization, western culture and civilization. Chapter seven covers the findings of research, recommendations of the research and the conclusion of the research.