Abstract

BASSI, Natalia R. L.. National identity in the political discourse of Albert J. Luthuli, Zulu chief and ANC President, 1952-1967. Rev. Esc. Hist. [online]. 2018, vol.17, n.1, pp.00-00. ISSN 1669-9041.

It has been more than fifty years since the late Zulu Chief and President of ANC, Albert J. Luthuli, died, but his political thought is still a matter of debate in South Africa, within and outside academia. On the one hand, Luthuli was certainly a key figure in the desobedience campaigns against apartheid during the 1950's, and for this he received international praise (the 1960 Nobel Peace Prize). However, after his death, Albert Luthuli's memory became a matter of dispute between the banned ANC and the Zulu chief M.G. Buthelezi, also Chief Minister of the KwaZulu bantustan (1972-1994). With the end of apartheid and the ANC's coming to power in South Africa, Luthuli became a key figure in the official historical narrative, which supported the ANC's longstanding commitment to a non racial democracy and reconciliation. Nevertheless, this narrative has been recently contested and new interpretations of Luthuli's political discourse have emerged. This article explores an aspect of his thought that has not been sufficiently studied: the issue of national identity. The article analyses the way in which Luthuli attempted to create a non ethnic and non racial national identity during his ANC presidency (1952-1967).

Keywords : Luthuli; Apartheid; South Africa.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )