''Baasskap'' () (also spelled ''baaskap''), literally "boss-ship" or "boss-hood", is an

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gr ...

term that was used during

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

to describe the social, political and economic domination of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

by its minority

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

population generally and by

Afrikaners Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: Brain to Cas ...

in particular. The term is sometimes translated to the

English-language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the i ...

term "

white supremacy White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White ...

" and functioned either as a description or an endorsement of white minority rule in South Africa.

Proponents

Proponents of ''baasskap'' constituted the largest faction of apartheid ideologues in the National Party and state institutions. They applied

racial segregation Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crime against humanity under the Statute of the Intern ...

in a systematic way to "preserve racial purity" and to ensure that economic and political spheres were dominated by

. However, proponents of ''baasskap'' were not necessarily opposed to black South African participation in the economy if black labour was controlled in a way that preserved the economic domination of Afrikaners. Prominent proponents of ''baasskap'' included both J.G. Strydom,

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

from 1954 to 1958, and C.R. Swart, Minister of Justice.

Hendrik Verwoerd Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd (; 8 September 1901 – 6 September 1966) was a South African politician, a scholar of applied psychology and sociology, and chief editor of '' Die Transvaler'' newspaper. He is commonly regarded as the architect ...

had sympathy for the "purist" faction of apartheid ideologues, who opposed

economic integration Economic integration is the unification of economic policies between different states, through the partial or full abolition of tariff and non-tariff restrictions on trade. The trade-stimulation effects intended by means of economic integrati ...

of black South Africans, in contrast to supporters of ''baasskap'' who wanted white domination but an integrated economy. Nonetheless, Verwoerd provided the hitherto-crude concept of ''baasskap'' with a veneer of intellectual respectability.

References

External links

* {{Political history of South Africa History of South Africa Afrikaans words and phrases South African English Political terminology in South Africa Apartheid in propaganda White supremacy in South Africa

Proponents

See also

References

External links