Sozialarbeit des Südens, Bd. 11 - The Protest Culturew in South Africa - What Role for the Social Science?

In light of the above, this book serves as the culmination of the colloquium, with its central emphasis on the culture of wanton violence in protest actions in South Africa. The colloquium was informed by observations spanning over a long period since the advent of democracy. The observed protests and violence, since democracy have been increasing, not only in numerical terms but also in frequency and intensity of violence. The questions raised by organisers of the colloquium sought to solicit the reasons behind the violence and whether violence was an indispensable part of protests without which any protest of this nature loses its sting. Thirdly, the role of social sciences in understanding and dealing with violent protests in South Africa was at the core of this enquiry. Of particular importance is the abstraction of these protests as a form of social action. In social work literature, social action is one of the methods of social work practice. It refers to the mobilization of the general population to usher in structural changes in the social system. It is a method largely activated when society’s needs remain unmet through the other methods of social work practice (Davis, 2000; Chowdhry, 1992; McKendrick, 1990). It then begs the question of the extent to which social work practitioners have been involved in the problems of the communities such that  every protest results in violence. Where social work practitioners are involved, social action would be used as a tool to direct the energies of the population towards an effective outcome in the absence of violence and destruction of the already existing amenities.