Neoliberalism’s True Heirs: What Late-Apartheid South Africa Can Teach Us about Contemporary “Right-Wing Populism”

How can we make sense of the resurgence of the far-right across the world? From race riots in the United Kingdom to the flourishing of Hindu nationalism in India, there seems to be an increase of ethno-nationalist movements in strikingly diverse contexts. There is also a burgeoning literature on this topic as scholars attempt to understand whether this is a backlash against neoliberalism, a reactionary form of neoliberalism, or simply a cultural phenomenon produced by “globalisation”. This paper contributes to the vibrant discussion by examining an ideal yet overlooked case of ethno-national neoliberalism- apartheid South Africa in the 1980s. This case reveals neoliberalism’s relationship to colonialism and its contribution to the perpetuation of white rule. In this regard, South Africa should be seen as a microcosm of global colonialism and it can therefore provide broader insights. It encourages us to see characters such as Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro and Javier Milei not as “neoliberalism’s bastards”, but as its true heirs that rear their heads in times of heightened uncertainty. The paper draws on a vast range of archival sources from the late-apartheid period as well as the writings of prominent neoliberals to support this argument.