Date & Time: Wednesday, November 14, 2018 5:40 pm - 7:10 pm

Venue: Room 305, Research and Lecture Building, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies

Speaker: Dr. Mabutho Shangase
(Lecturer, University of Pretoria / Visiting Professor, ASC - TUFS)

Theme: Institutional Stability and Change in South African Politics: Introducing Temporal Exponentiality

Report:

The theme of Dr. Mabutho Shangase's public lecture was on "Institutional Stability and Change in South African Politics: Introducing Temporal Exponentiality." The main argument presented by Dr. Shangase during his presentation was that the post 1994 South African Politics have been characterized by a flurry of events which masquerade as either institutional change or leading towards that fundamental change; and these rapid and fluid events which create multiple paths at micro and meso levels occur within long standing macro level institutions and recurringly lead nowhere. In his argument, Dr. Shangase referred to these rapid and endless events as Temporal Exponentiality. He therefore, reiterated in his argument that the manifestation of this temporal exponentiality has been irretrievably unmasked and will continue to not only be the abiding feature of South African Politics, but also wreak havoc on South Africa, making it one of the most volatile and restive society of contemporary time.

Further expanding on the conception of temporal exponentiality, Dr. Shangase characterized it from two fundamental strands, (1) the empirical level and (2) conceptual level. From the empirical level, he asserted that temporal exponentiality is the multipronged and cumulative effect produced when event sets off a chain of other events that are either directly or indirectly related to the initial triggering event and that this temporal exponentiality events unfold, actors react with a façade of logic and determination of being in control. At the conceptual level, he emphasized that, temporal exponentiality becomes a form of interstitial social and political actions that occurs between larger continuous historical institutions over long periods of time. He also stated that at the conceptual level, temporal exponential events are understood to strive within a configuration of macro level institutions and it is within the macro level configuration of structures that they become gridlocked.

Dr. Shangase expatiated on this fundamental conceptual understanding within the context of expanding debates on South Africa political development in the last several years, in which he made referenced to macro level institutions or factors such as, neoliberal paradigm, land ownership, wealth accumulation and dominant culture as critical and, as the locus of power. In conclusion, Dr. Shangase stated that South Africa is currently in an institutional stasis or Lock-in.