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South Africa’s foreign policy consistencies and contradictions since 1994: A case study of soft power–soft disempowerment
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2023
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| _version_ | 1867613957174329344 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | MacLeod, Cristan Lee |
| author2 | Van der Westhuizen, Janis, 1969- |
| author_browse | MacLeod, Cristan Lee Van der Westhuizen, Janis, 1969- |
| author_facet | Van der Westhuizen, Janis, 1969- MacLeod, Cristan Lee |
| author_sort | MacLeod, Cristan Lee |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/127228 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:44:23.606Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/127228 South Africa’s foreign policy consistencies and contradictions since 1994: A case study of soft power–soft disempowerment MacLeod, Cristan Lee Van der Westhuizen, Janis, 1969- Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science. Hosting of sporting events -- South Africa Apartheid -- South Africa Soft power (Political science) International relations -- South Africa Political corruption -- South Africa Gupta Gate Nkandla saga Xenophobia -- South Africa Human rights -- South Africa UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In South Africa’s transition from an Apartheid pariah to an international good citizen, the considerable success of the use of soft power enabled the country to carve out a global foreign policy profile for itself. Over the course of 28 years, however, it appears the initial fanfare over South Africa’s transnational appeal has somewhat faded. By investigating the case study of South Africa’s foreign policy, consistencies, and contradictions since 1994, this study aims to demystify the country’s soft power successes or failures. This is done by adapting the soft power–soft disempowerment framework originally developed by Paul Brannagan and Richard Giulianotti (2018), in the case study of Qatar, to the South African context. The framework provides a novel approach to probing the under-researched phenomenon of the reversibility of soft power. In other words, the framework argues that soft power projects which intend to attract positive attention from international audiences can unintentionally also have negative ‘feedback’ effects and trigger negative attention, thus causing ‘soft disempowerment’. In exceptional cases, the appeal of the soft power message can overcome the negative scrutiny and instead result in a positive appeal being generated. In short, the framework seeks to highlight the dynamic change between soft power and soft disempowerment. To investigate this phenomenon, this research employs a qualitative desktop approach to examine three major themes within South Africa’s political, economic and cultural soft power. The first is the role of human rights in building the foundation of the country’s foreign policy approach. The second is the use of the ‘Gateway to Africa’ narrative to generate investment appeal, which claims international investment partners must go through South Africa to access the continent. The third is the use of sports mega-events such as the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the 2003 Cricket World Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. To assess the intersection between these soft power messages, and whether a soft disempowerment has occurred, this research further weighs up issues that have presented challenges to South Africa’s attractive appeal. These include the backsliding on South Africa’s human rights-based foreign policy, using case studies that drew international backlash. The study also raises the issue of corruption such as Gupta Gate and the Nkandla saga, in which the international media’s attention to these issues caused negative perceptions of South Africa. Finally, the study examines the challenge of xenophobia’s impact on cultural soft power from 2008-2021. It explores how xenophobia diluted the ability for South Africa to win bids to host several sports mega-events, and the consequences of the laisse faire approach by South Africa’s government to managing the crisis that in 2019 resulted in the looting of South African owned fashion and entertainment businesses operating on the African continent. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrika se transisie van Apartheidsuitgeworpene na ʼn internationale goeie burger, het die land se aansienlike sukses in die gebruik van sagte mag dit toegalaat om ʼn globale buitelandse beleidsprofiel vir homself uit te kerf. In die loop van 28 jaar blyk dit egter dat die aanvanklike opgewondendheid oor Suid-Afrika se transnasionale aantrekkingskrag ietwat verdof het. Deur om die gevallestudie van Suid-Afrika se buitelandse beleid, konsekwenthede en teenstrydighede sedert 1994 te ondersoek, poog hierdie studie om die land se sagte magsuksesse of -mislukkings op te klaar. Dit word gedoen deur om die raamwerk vir sagte krag – sagte ontmagtiging wat oorspronklik ontwikkel is deur Paul Brannagan en Richard Giulianotti (2018) in ʼn gevallestudie van Katar, aan te pas vir die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks. Hierdie raamwerk bied ʼn nuwe benadering om die onder-genavorsde verskynsel van die omkeerbaarheid van sagte krag te ondersoek. Met ander woorde, die raamwerk argumenteer dat sagte krag projekte wat beoog om positiewe aandag van internasionale gehore te trek, onbedoeld ook negatiewe 'terugvoer effekte’ kan hê en sodoende negatiewe aandag kan veroorsaak, wat dan 'sagte ontmagtiging' veroorsaak. In uitsonderlike gevalle kan die appèl van die sagte kragboodskap die negatiewe ondersoek oorkom en eerder daartoe lei dat ʼn positiewe appèl gegenereer word. Kortliks, die raamwerk poog om dinamiese verandering tussen sagte mag en sagte ontmagtiging uit te lig. Om hierdie verskynsel te ondersoek, gebruik hierdie navorsing ʼn kwalitatiewe lessenaarstudie studie om drie hooftemas binne Suid-Afrikaanse politieke, ekonomiese en kulturele sagte magte ondersoek. Die eerste is die rol van menseregte in die bou van die grondslag van die land se buitelandse beleidsbenadering. Die tweede is die gebruik van die “Poort tot Afrika'-narratief om beleggingsaantrekkingskrag te genereer, wat beweer internasionale beleggingsvennote moet deur Suid-Afrika gaan om toegang tot die vasteland te verkry. Die derde is die gebruik van sport mega geleenthede soos die 1995 Rugby Wêreldbeker, die 2003 Krieket Wêreldbeker en die 2010 FIFA Wêreldbeker. Om die kruising tussen hierdie sagte mag-boodskappe te bepaal, en of ʼn sagte ontmagtiging plaasgevind het, weeg hierdie navorsing verder kwessies op wat uitdagings is vir Suid-Afrika se aantrekkingskrag. Dit sluit in die terugval op Suid-Afrika se menseregte-gebaseerde buitelandse beleid, deur gebruik te maak van gevallestudies wat internasionale terugslag ontlok het. Die studie opper ook die kwessie van korrupsie soos Gupta Gate en die Nkandla-sage, waar die internasionale media se aandag aan hierdie kwessies negatiewe persepsies van Suid-Afrika veroorsaak het. Laastens ondersoek die studie die uitdaging van xenofobie se impak op kulturele sagte mag van 2008-2021. Dit ondersoek hoe xenofobie die vermoë vir Suid-Afrika afgewater het om aanbiedinge te wen om verskeie sport-mega-geleenthede aan te bied. Verder bring die studie wesenlike gevolge na vore vir die laisse faire-benadering deur Suid-Afrika se regering om die krisis te bestuur. Wat in 2019 gelei het tot die plundering van mode- en vermaaklikheidsondernemings in Suid-Afrika wat op die Afrika-kontinent bedrywig is in die nasleep van herhalende xenofobiese uitbrake. Masters 2023-03-01T13:19:31Z 2023-05-18T07:10:53Z 2023-03-01T13:19:31Z 2023-05-18T07:10:53Z 2023-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/127228 en_ZA Stellenbosch University x, 114 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Hosting of sporting events -- South Africa Apartheid -- South Africa Soft power (Political science) International relations -- South Africa Political corruption -- South Africa Gupta Gate Nkandla saga Xenophobia -- South Africa Human rights -- South Africa UCTD MacLeod, Cristan Lee South Africa’s foreign policy consistencies and contradictions since 1994: A case study of soft power–soft disempowerment |
| title | South Africa’s foreign policy consistencies and contradictions since 1994: A case study of soft power–soft disempowerment |
| title_full | South Africa’s foreign policy consistencies and contradictions since 1994: A case study of soft power–soft disempowerment |
| title_fullStr | South Africa’s foreign policy consistencies and contradictions since 1994: A case study of soft power–soft disempowerment |
| title_full_unstemmed | South Africa’s foreign policy consistencies and contradictions since 1994: A case study of soft power–soft disempowerment |
| title_short | South Africa’s foreign policy consistencies and contradictions since 1994: A case study of soft power–soft disempowerment |
| title_sort | south africa s foreign policy consistencies and contradictions since 1994 a case study of soft power soft disempowerment |
| topic | Hosting of sporting events -- South Africa Apartheid -- South Africa Soft power (Political science) International relations -- South Africa Political corruption -- South Africa Gupta Gate Nkandla saga Xenophobia -- South Africa Human rights -- South Africa UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/127228 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT macleodcristanlee southafricasforeignpolicyconsistenciesandcontradictionssince1994acasestudyofsoftpowersoftdisempowerment |