reverse apartheid: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1/C2Formal, Academic, Political
Quick answer
What does “reverse apartheid” mean?
A social policy or system aimed at giving preferential treatment to a previously disadvantaged group, often seen as the inverse of historical apartheid.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A social policy or system aimed at giving preferential treatment to a previously disadvantaged group, often seen as the inverse of historical apartheid.
A controversial concept describing situations where policies designed to redress past injustices (like South Africa's apartheid) are perceived to discriminate against the former ruling or advantaged group, or where a new, segregated social order is established in favour of the formerly oppressed.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is comparable in both dialects, primarily within political and sociological commentary. The term is closely associated with debates about post-apartheid South Africa.
Connotations
Strongly negative and polemical. Users often imply the policy is unjust, illiberal, or creates new forms of racial segregation.
Frequency
Very low frequency. Predominantly found in op-eds, political analyses, and historical/sociological texts discussing South Africa or analogous situations.
Grammar
How to Use “reverse apartheid” in a Sentence
[Subject: policy/government] + [Verb: enact, create, institute] + reverse apartheid[Critics/Some] + [Verb: accuse X of, warn against, label Y as] + reverse apartheidVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “reverse apartheid” in a Sentence
noun
British English
- Commentators warned that the new land redistribution act could be perceived as a form of reverse apartheid.
- The policy was criticised in the press as veering towards reverse apartheid.
American English
- Some opponents of the diversity quota system have labeled it reverse apartheid.
- The debate centered on whether the measures constituted reverse apartheid.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Academic
Used in political science and sociology to critique or analyse post-conflict equity policies.
Everyday
Virtually never used in casual conversation.
Technical
Not a standard legal term.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “reverse apartheid”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “reverse apartheid”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “reverse apartheid”
- Using it as a synonym for all affirmative action (it is a much stronger, accusatory term).
- Misspelling 'apartheid'.
- Using it in a neutral or positive context.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is a highly charged, critical term used to condemn policies perceived as discriminatory against a former privileged group.
It appears in political discourse, often from critics of the African National Congress's transformation policies, but it is not an official or mainstream term.
No. While critics may use it to describe aggressive affirmative action, it carries a much stronger connotation of systemic, state-enforced racial discrimination mirroring apartheid itself.
It can trivialise the historical horror of apartheid by suggesting its mechanisms can be simply 'reversed', and it often shuts down nuanced debate about redress and equality.
A social policy or system aimed at giving preferential treatment to a previously disadvantaged group, often seen as the inverse of historical apartheid.
Reverse apartheid is usually formal, academic, political in register.
Reverse apartheid: in British English it is pronounced /rɪˌvɜːs əˈpɑːtheɪt/, and in American English it is pronounced /rɪˌvɜːrs əˈpɑːrtaɪt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a film played in REVERSE: the oppressed become the oppressors, creating a new APARTHEID in the opposite direction.
Conceptual Metaphor
SOCIETY IS A PENDULUM (swinging from one extreme of injustice to another).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the term 'reverse apartheid' MOST likely to be used?