Session 8: Hopeful and Helpful

Session 8: Hopeful and Helpful
Chair: Teresa Heffernan
Modes of Hoping and the Utopian Impulse
Darren Webb
Sheffield University, United Kingdom

No abstract is presently available

Post-apartheid South Africa created the expectations of infinite possibilities for many of its citizens, especially  the black segment of the population who now have access to quality education and employment opportunities which were denied to them under the apartheid government.  At the same time the white segment of the population are for the first time confronted with affirmative action and employment equity policies in order to redress the injustices created by apartheid policies. This paper set out to investigate and compare the effects of the current South African landscape on the hopes and perceptions of a group of white grade 12 learners with those of a group of black grade 12 learners who are on the verge of completing their highs school years, entering the world of work or higher education. The hypotheses was that the new post-apartheid landscape will instill a greater sense of hope for previously disadvantaged young people, and hopelessness for white young people who are now confronted with policies that put black people ahead of them. The results of this investigation indicates that there is no  simple linear relationship between the new found freedoms and policies of post-apartheid South Africa and  the promise of a “better life for all”, as propagated by the ruling African National Congress. Variables that dispute this linear relationship are highlighted and recommendations for strategies that will enhance a more positive outlook and create hope for all young people (black and white) in South Africa are given.