The new politics of Afrikaans

The 'new politics of Afrikaans' is primarily concerned with defending Afrik aans language and culture in the new South Africa. In contrast to Afrikaner nationalism, it seeks to ensure a vital and viable future for Afrikaans, w hich does not depend on white racial domination or Afrikaner political powe r. At the same time, it seeks to prevent Afrikaners from disowning their la nguage or cultural identity, or abandoning the sphere of the political in t he new South Africa. It seeks instead to defend cultural diversity and loca l forms of community against the homogenizing pressures of capitalist globa lization. This article examines the evolution of moral, political and philo sophical ideas and arguments in this process, and in particular their ambig uous relationship to capitalism in the new South Africa. It examines the lo gic of reconciliation under Mandela and Mbeki, the ways in which Afrikaner critics of apartheid conceived of the role of Afrikaners, how postmodernism has reconfigured the philosophy of history on which they relied, and the a rguments of Breyten Breytenbach--perhaps the most celebrated figure in the new politics of Afrikaans, In conclusion, it puts forward a brief account o f the class dynamics which are deciding the future of language and culture in the new South Africa.