Political naturalism and the French" Nouvelle Droite": reflections on politocratic communitarianism in contemporary Afrikaans political literature
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Date
2015-12
Authors
Raath, Andries
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
An increasing lack of confidence over the last couple of years in government’s will and ability to govern
South African political society has stimulated Afrikaans publications on the notion of community
in general, and political community in particular. The publication, Politokrasie. ’n Peiling van die
dwanglogika van die territoriale staat en gedagtes vir ’n antwoord daarop (2011), focuses on the issue of
political community in particular. In this work, Koos Malan envisages a political enclave in the form of
the Aristotelian idea of the Greek city-state as an alternative to the “territorial state”; it is envisaged to
be a small, natural entity governed by a small elite. In this essay the roots of the politocratic community
envisaged by Malan are traced to the legacy of Ferdinand Tönnies and its further development
by the French New Rightist author, Alain de Benoist. This contribution is a critical reflection of the
political naturalism of the French “Nouvelle Droite” and its manifestations in Malan’s politocratic
communitarianism. It is hoped that this contribution will stimulate debate on the issues emanating from
Malan’s publication.
Description
Keywords
Politocracy, Territorial state, Ferdinand Tönnies, Alain de Benoist, French “Nouvelle Droite”
Citation
Raath, A. (2015). Political naturalism and the French" Nouvelle Droite": reflections on politocratic communitarianism in contemporary Afrikaans political literature. Journal for Contemporary History, 40(2), 110-132.