New Black Middle Class in South Africa
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer, Limited; James Currey
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 317
ISBN-13: 9781847011435
Subjects: Middle class; Blacks, south africa; South africa, social conditions; Blacks, social conditions
Description: "The 'rise of the black middle class' is one of the most visible aspects of post-apartheid society in South Africa. Yet while it has been a major actor in the country's democratic reshaping, analysis of its role has been all but lacking. Rather, the image presented by the media has been of 'black diamonds', consumers of the products of advanced industrial economies, and of corrupt 'tenderpreneurs' who use their political connections to obtain contracts. This book seeks to complicate that picture with a much-needed analysis that recounts its historical development in colonial society prior to 1994, before examining the size, shape and structure of the new black middle class in contemporary South Africa and its relation to its counterparts in the Global South." -- Publisher's description