Molly Landis ‘27
News Editor
On February 24th, Sebastian Jackson, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Virginia, gave a lecture titled, “Miscegenation Madness: Interracial Intimacy and the Politics of ‘Purity’ in Twentieth Century South Africa.” Professor Jackson’s talk examined the lasting impact and history of Apartheid’s petty laws, arguing that they regulated social activities and public spaces rather than housing and property ownership. Professor Jackson lectured as a part of the Carter G. Woodson Lecture Series, an annual lecture taking place during Black History Month. Miscegenation translates to “blood mixing,” referring to mixed race intimacy which was outlawed in Apartheid South Africa. It is a derogatory term referring to the sexual relationships or reproduction between people of different racialized ethnic groups. It stems from the belief that mixing blood sullies the racial purity of children. Colonial elites felt that mixed race relationships threatened the standards they had long upheld and labelled interracial intimacy as an act of defilement for pure bloodlines.
Jackson looked to racial histories around the world by studying W.E.B. Du Bois and Carter G. Woodson and examining the miscegenation laws that were once present in the United States. Miscegenation in South Africa was perpetuated by propaganda and cartoons that intended to incite rage over mixed race relationships. The Immorality Acts of 1927-1985 enacted a series of laws criminalizing mixed race relationships. The Immorality Amendment Act of 1957 was a reaction to the moral panics among white South Africans. The exclusively white government prohibited non-marital sex intimacy between native African people and Europeans, even going so far as to prohibit cuddling and kissing between races, which they believed to be immoral and indecent. This was an instance of legal separation and racism that characterized South Africa under the Apartheid system. These ideologies were controlled by the white majority, the Dutch. Apartheid policies were also largely driven by the theory of eugenics. Thousands of people were convicted of committing serious crimes until 1985 when Apartheid was finally eradicated. There were also many instances of grand apartheid, such as the Group Areas Act of 1950 which formalized physical segregation which is the Apartheid many people associate with twentieth-century South Africa. Professor Jackson’s lecture highlighted the extremes of Apartheid, showing how racism became enfleshed into law.
While Apartheid officially ended in 1985 with a negotiated settlement, its legacy is long-lasting and still affects South Africans today. While the United States has the 13th and 14th Amendments to fall back on, this is not the case in South Africa where an ongoing battle for civil rights prevails. After the lecture, students were given the opportunity to attend dinner with Professor Jackson to further discuss current events in America and their connection to South Africa.
Featured image courtesy of the University of Virginia
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