South African National Identity: A Research Agenda for Social Psychologists

Abstract

South African social psychology has largely neglected the topic of national identity. Where the issue has been addressed, the theories applied and questions posed have been limited by the dominant ‘intergroup relations’ paradigm. This paper is an attempt to encourage local social psychologists to take a renewed interest in national identification processes. The paper argues for the intrinsic academic interest, and the practical social importance, of this topic in the South African context. A range of international research is presented, arranged according to a typology of national identity work suggested by Reicher, Hopkins and Condor (1997). Existing research within the Social Cognitive, Social Identity Theory / Self-Categorisation Theory, and discursive traditions, is shown to offer a wealth of ideas for exploration in South Africa. The intention is to stimulate the development of a lively research agenda for the study of South African national identity.