Negotiating the boundaries of farmerhood: class, race, and identity in the new rural South Africa

Farmers play a veto role in democratization because of their economic standing and their symbolic status as keepers of a conservative rural space. In South Africa, the classification of “farmer” was historically reserved for white land-owners, but democratization promised land reform and rural integration. This paper examines the ways the category of “farmer” has changed with these reforms. Using qualitative interviews with white and Black farmers, the paper finds distinct variation in the levels of integration of the category of “farmer” between white English-speaking and white Afrikaans-speaking farmers. Despite their reputation for liberality, there is less meaningful integration within English-speaking farming communities. Afrikaans-speaking farmers, who have a reputation for conservatism, have higher barriers to entry, but emerging farmers who meet these criteria are more meaningfully integrated into the farming community. These findings elucidate the complex interactions of threat, class, and politics that create rural identity in democratic transitions.