ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This mini thesis is being submitted within a few weeks of two important events focusing
on racism. One is the World Conference on Racism (WCAR), which was held in South
Africa from 31 August to 7 September 2001; and the other is the release on 30 August
2001 of Race relations and racism in everyday life, a summary report on the results of a
national survey commissioned by the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR
survey).
The WCAR, as President Thabo Mbeki said in his opening address to it, had "to indicate
what is to be done practically" to bring about "a changed and changing world in which all
human beings actually enjoy the inalienable right to human dignity". Instead, months of
careful planning and fastidiously drafted declarations were undermined by undignified
squabbling over whether or not the United States should send a delegation to the
Conference. Right at the end, when it seemed as if the conference was going to close on
an inconclusive note, a United Nations declaration and programme of action was drafted
that set out the 10 most important commitments for continuing to combat racism. What
the WCAR didn't do, however, was leave people with an understanding of subtly
conveyed racism and how individuals can change their behaviour so that a culture of nonracism
is developed.
The SAIRR survey was conducted in response to a plethora of media reports of racial
friction or conflict. Its overall objective was to establish the extent to which 'the attitudes
and inter-action of people in the new South Africa (are) still structured by racial definitions'. Although the results (see paragraph 1.4.4) show that only 5% of South
Africans regard race as the cause of problems they have with other people, 59% regard
racism as a serious problem. Moreover, the section of the population most concerned
with race issues is the white Afrikaans-speaking group, the group most blamed for
previous racial discrimination. By contrast, black African people, who are generally
considered to have been the main victims of discrimination, are much less concerned with
race issues than the media have made them out to be.
The outcomes of the WCAR and the SAIRR survey may be telling us that the attention
given to racism by the media is excessive in relation to the time the South African public
spends thinking about it. On the other hand, the outcomes also reveal that most people's
understanding of racism is limited to their awareness of inhumane acts or blatant racism.
People may indeed be experiencing most of the examples discussed in Chapter 4, but they
may not be identifying them as racism.
The main objectives of this mini thesis, therefore, are to:
• provide a short theoretical overview of communication and of racism;
• discuss the ways in which racist tendencies are communicated and explain how that
causes communication barriers; and to
• discuss and recommend strategies for developing a culture of non-racism.
One of the main tenets of the thesis is that, despite the democratisation of South Africa,
racism continues to be communicated in various ways in the South African workplace.
Fourteen of these ways are discussed in Chapter 4. They include: devaluation of previous
suffering; stereotyping; perceptions of self-superiority and negative expectancies of other
races; and the creation of in-groups and out-groups.
In each case the racism puts up communication barriers between the sender and receiver
of messages. These barriers include: unwillingness or inability to understand
communications because of resentment or a lack of trust; distortion or misinterpretation
of messages; poor performance because of negative expectancies; and conflict that breaks
down team spirit.
In other words, apart from its dehumanising effects, racism also has a detrimental effect
on communication between people. The combined effect is to undermine people's
performance in the workplace.
Accordingly, in Chapter 6, a package of strategies is presented for developing a culture of
non-racism. The strategies operate on different levels, beginning with a focus on nonracism
in a universal context. The focus then shifts to the national legislative framework
before moving on to organizational policies and culture, such as diversity and
inclusiveness. Finally, the focus falls on the individual, and ways are discussed of
developing the individual's awareness of racism and also his/her ability to control hislher
own communication.
The concluding argument put forward IS that awareness and understanding of racist tendencies, together with control over what and how they communicate, will enable
individuals to make non-racism the norm in their inter-action with other people in the
workplace. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie mini-verhandeling word voorgelê binne 'n paar weke van twee belangrike
gebeurtenisse wat op rassime gemik is. Een van hierdie gebeurtenisse is die World
Conference on Racism (WCAR), wat vanaf 31 Augustus tot 7 September 2001 in Suid-
Afrika gehou is; die ander gebeurtenis is die bekendstelling op 30 Augustus 2001 van
Race relations and racism in everyday life, die opsomming-verslag van 'n nasionale
opname wat deur die South African Institute of Race Relations opgedra is (die SAIRRopname).
Soos President Thabo Mbeki dit in sy openingsrede by die WCAR gestel het, moes die
WCAR aandui wat prakties gedoen moet word om 'n veranderde en veranderende wêreld
daar te stel waarin alle mense onvervreembare regte op menswaardigheid geniet. In stede
daarvan is maande van deeglike beplanning en puntenerige opstelling van deklarasies
deur onwaardige gekibbel ondermyn - en dit het alles gegaan oor of die Verenigde State
'n delegasie na die konferensie moes stuur al dan nie. Toe dit geblyk het dat die
konferensie op 'n onbeslisde einde afstuur, is 'n United Nations Declaration and
programme of action haastig opgestel. Hierdie dokument sit uiteen die 10 belangrikste
stappe vorentoe om aksie teen rassime te neem. Nieteenstaande hierdie dokument, het die
WCAR nie vir mense 'n begrip van subtiele rassime gegee nie. Dit het ook nie aangedui
hoe mense hul gedrag kan aanpas sodat 'n kultuur van nie-rassisme teweeggebring kan
word nie.
Die SAIRR -opname is opgedra in reaksie op mediaberigte oor rassekonflik. Die oorhoofse
doel daarvan was om vas te stel in watter mate Suid-Afrikaners se begrip van ras hul
houding teenoor, en inter-aksie, met ander mense beïnvloed. Die resultate (kyk paragraaf
1.4.4) dui aan dat slegs 5% van Suid-Afrikaners van mening is dat ras die oorsaak is van
hulle probleme met ander mense is. Aan die ander kant beskou 59% van Suid-Afrikaners
ras as 'n ernstige probleem. Wat interressant is, is dat blanke Afrikaans-sprekende mense
die mees besorgd oor rassisme is - en hulle is die groep wat hoofsaaklik blameer word
vir historiese rasse-diskriminasie. In teenstelling daaroor, is swart Afrika-mense, wat die
meeste onder rasse-diskriminasie gely het, heelwat minder besorgd oor rasseaangeleenthede
as wat die media voorgee.
Die uitvloeisels van die WCAR en die SAIRR-opname wys miskien dat die media
heelwat meer aandag aan rasse-aangeleenthede gee as die Suid-Afrikaanse publiek.
Hierdie uivloeisels wys egter ook dat die meeste mense se begrip van rassisme beperk is
tot bewustheid van onmenslike dade of blatante rassisme. Miskien beleef mense wel die
soort gedrag wat in Hoofstuk 4 beskryf word, maar hulle besef nie dat dit op rassisme
neerkom nie.
Na aanleiding daarvan, het hierdie mini-studieprojek drie hoof doelwitte:
• om 'n kort teoretiese oorsig te gee oor kommunikasie en rassisme;
• om 'n bespreking te hou oor die kommunikasie van rassistiese neigings en dan te
verduidelik hoe dit kommunikasie-versperrings veroorsaak; en om 'n bespreking te hou en aanbevelings te doen oor hoe 'n kultuur van nie-rassisme
ontwikkel kan word.
'n Kernagtige leerstelling in die verslag is dat rassisme op verskeie maniere in die Suid-
Afrikaanse werkplek voorkom, nieteenstaande die demokratisering van die land. Hierdie
voorbeelde sluit in: die ontwaarding van voormalige lyding; stereotipering; persepsies
van eie meerderwaardigheid asook negatiewe verwagtinge ten opsigte van
anderkleuriges; en die skepping van sogenaamde ingroepe and uitgroepe.
In elkeen van dié gevalle veroorsaak rassisme versperrings tussen die sender van
boodskappe (bv. spreker) en die ontvanger van boodskappe (bv. luisteraar). Sodanige
versperrings sluit die volgende in:
• onbereidheid of onvermoë om boodskappe te verstaan vanweë gegriefdheid of
afwesigheid van vertroue;
• verdraaiing of wanvertolking van boodskappe;
• slegte prestasie as gevolg van negatiewe verwagtinge; en
• konflik wat spangees afbreek.
Rassisme het dus 'n ontmenslikingde uitwerking én dit veroorsaak kommunikasieversperrings.
Die algemene uitwerking daarvan is om mense se prestasie in die werkplek
te ondermyn.
In die lig hiervan, stel Hoofstuk 6 strategieë voor vir die ontwikkeling van 'n kultuur van
nie-rassime. Dié strategieë werk op verskillende vlakke. Om mee te begin, is die fokus op
nie-rassisme in 'n universele konteks. Daarna word gefokus op die nasionale wetgewende
raamwerk wat diskriminasie betref. Dit word gevolg deur 'n bespreking oor organisasiebeleid
en -kultuur, soos 'diversity and inclusiveness'. Uiteindelik val die fokus op die
individu, spesifiek op hoe om die individu se bewustheid van rassisme te verbeter en hoe
om die individu te leer om beheer uit te oefen oor sy/haar eie kommunikasie.
Die slot-argument wat na vore gebring word, is dat bewustheid en begrip van rassistiese
neigings, tesame met beheer oor hul eie kommunikasie, individue in staat stel om nierassisme
die norm te maak in hulle inter-aksie met ander mense in die werkplek.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52300 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | De Vries, Vernon Charles |
| Contributors | Human, L. (Linda), Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Science. Graduate School of Business. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 90 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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