Social Empowerment Theory

Before 1880, European countries controlled a little of African continent. Africa was separated by the western, southern, north and the central parts of africa. Between 1880 and 1900 Africa was divided between Great britain, france, germany, belgium, italy, spain, and portugal under european rule.

While the ecumenical church focused on preventing a post-World War apocalypse, they neglected a cultural genocide in South Africa. From 1948 through 1994, a legalized forced separation of white and blacks took place. Apartheid, literally meaning a “state of being apart”, was racial segregation instituted by the National Party that kept a minority white population in power over the predominantly black indigenous population.

In Basil Davidson’s video, “Different but Equal”, Davidson examines ancient Africa, and how Africans were perceived in ancient and modern times. Davidson discusses pre-colonized Africa and its history, and how racism prevailed in the past and in modern day. By discussing early civilizations, as well as modern day perspectives, Davidson allows the viewer to have expansive information on how individuals view Africans and their culture.

Many Americans and Europeans believe that there was many good reasons for imperialism. These people think this because they were the ones that benefited from it. In imperialism, the stronger countries took over the weaker countries and used them for their resources which improved their economy. Most also claim that they helped the countries they were imperializing, but the Europeans were actually hurting them. This led to the natives rebelling which arguably led to World War 1 later on. Imperialism was not justified for multiple reasons because imperialism did improve the lives of many natives and increased global trade, but the majority of the world ended up hurting from it. The negatives outway the positives

Like most of Africa during the past several centuries, European countries, namely the Dutch and British, influenced South Africa. The Dutch took initial control in the 1600s; therefore, by the time the British arrived in the early 1800s a significant minority of Dutch, known as Boers or Afrikaners already resided in South Africa (Gascoigne). As a result, quarrels between the Boers, British, and natives occurred for more than a century, all while policies were becoming increasingly discriminatory towards anyone of Asian, Indian, or African heritage, leading to apartheid. Apartheid, literally meaning “apartness” in Afrikaans, was the institutionalized segregation that plagued South Africa from 1948 to 1994, resulting in one of the worst cases of inequality in a developed country. To justify apartheid, white South Africans claimed it was the most effective way to govern due to a white man’s inherent superior intellect, which

In The Legacy, Basil Davidson discusses the legacies of colonialism in Africa and gives an insight on modern Africa and the successes and downfalls that it possesses. Moreover, he states that many of the issues seen in modern day Africa are not new and have their roots in the long years of European colonialism that profoundly shaped and continues to shape the continent. Throughout the documentary, various themes regarding postcolonial Africa are mentioned in depth. A few of the themes that Davidson highlights are modernization, ethnicism, corruption, inequality, dictatorship, and neocolonialism.

To add onto how Mandela made the choice , the choice snowballed into many things that were influenced by the choice .The choice to end apartheid and segregation has changed South Africa and even America in simple ways that have changed the life of millions of blacks around the world . Mandela choice has made many impacts on his country and other countries because the problem he addressed was a worldwide problem . For instance , his choice has granted blacks rights to vote and run for a position . The president in america is a black president , and this shows that abolishing apartheid in South Africa has impacted America in many ways . Furthermore , Mandela influences were both good and bad , but manly good because his protest created an equally

Critics suggest this theory may not take into account the unique experiences of each individual and perhaps key characteristics of the individual or group are not taken into consideration (Sadan, 1997). Although empowerment theory is intended to alleviate the oppression of marginalized groups, there are no specific guidelines or procedures for doing so (Gutierrez et al., 1995). As a result, this theory may prove to be too abstract for some practitioners, as there are no specific processes for implementing empowerment in an individual, group, or community and it is a more open-ended

Africa In World Politics: Engaging a Changing Global Order by John Harbenson and Donald Rothchild gives an analysis of how Africa has changed from being a European ruled colonial nation to a nation that it creating a name for itself in the global sphere. Beginning with Africa’s politics during the colonial era through the present. The book provides not only details about Africa but also how the changing world has affected African politics. The main focus of this book is to show the growth Africa has had since its time of colonization. Africa has grown as the world has changed although it has had to deal with internal conflicts and demands for political change due to its authoritarian regimes.

Diminishing these social injustices in which Izzie has experienced calls for measures aimed at empowerment. This involves engaging Izzie in dialogue that will assist her in gaining an awareness of the oppressive actions that have impacted the lives of her and her family so that the focus can then turn to actions of self-determination which can liberate her from oppressive conditions (Marsiglia & Kulis, 2016). Further, as part of this empowerment process, we should focus on ways to help Izzie define and express herself independent of the definitions promoted by the dominant culture about people in marginalized groups(van Voorhis, 1998).

Apartheid was an official barrier which separated the different races in South Africa, namely the black South Africans and the white Afrikaans South Africans. Although Apartheid ended 20 years ago when Nelson Mandela was elected president, Apartheid still plays a large role in South African History. Apartheid began long before it was officially named Apartheid in 1948 by the leading political party, National Party. The separation between the black and white people of South Africa began around the time Jan Van Riebeek arrived in the Cape in 1652. Since then the segregation escalated due to events which caused hatred between the two races.

This is an introduction about Apartheid. Apartheid essentially contains meanings of was a system of racial segregation in South Africa. Apartheid was born in South Africa by the National Party governments. Under apartheid, nonwhite South Africans would be forced to live in separate areas from whites and use separate public facilities, and contact between the two groups would be limited. The law remained in South Africa for more than 50 years. In 1991, the government of President F.W. de Klerk ended apartheid. While apartheid was ruling in South Africa, A South African activist named Nelson Mandela fight for the rights of the nonwhites. In this essay I will talk about why Apartheid emerged in South Africa, how Apartheid can develop and was accept in South Africa, The tragedy that was caused by Apartheid and Nelson Mandela’s role on ending apartheid.

Employee empowerment involves the workforce being provided with a greater degree of flexibility and more freedom to make decisions relating to work. Individuals are allowed to take personal responsibility for improving the way they do their jobs and contribute to the achievement of organizational goals. The four dimensions of empowerment in accordance to Spreitzer’s (1995) study are defined as follows:

Reda (2015) states “If we want to see the world as a just and fair place where everyone is given equal opportunities, education is what we require. Education is a must if we want to do away with the existing differences between different social classes and genders. It opens a whole world of opportunities for the poor so that they may have an equal shot at well-paying jobs.” Creating education in a democratic state has been aimed by many states, theorists, philosophers and so on. Countries in this era have succeeded is aiming for a democratic education, some are getting there and other countries fail in creating a democratic education. The manner in which manner is received plays a crucial role in the life of everyone but as much as that is important to the human existence, the manner in which education is given is just as vital. Amy Gutmann “proposes a democratic state of education that requires parents and states to cede some professional authority to professional educators. Meaning the good of children includes not just individual freedom of choice, but also identification with and participation in the good of their family and the politics of their society” (Divala & Mathebula, 2016, p. 275). The below will discuss Amy Gutmann’s theory of democratic education briefly, the South African education system and the extent to which it resonates with Gutmann’s theory and four aspects of the current education system that can be improved to enhance democracy in education system.

Zoe Wicomb’s novel, Playing in the Light (2006), is set in the 1990s in Cape Town, South Africa, post apartheid. The novel revolves around Marion, the protagonist, and her intricate relationship with Brenda, the first person of color she has ever employed at her travel agency business. This post apartheid novel offers interesting and an insightful viewpoint of South Africa following the fall of apartheid. By analyzing the passages in this novel, one will be able to better understand race in the context of South Africa.