Institutionalizing elites : political elite formation and change in the KwaZulu-Natal provincial legislature

Abstract

This book expands and redefines the approach to the study of political elites through an interrogation of political elite formation in the context of the provincial legislature of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, over the period 1994-2004. The period covers two successive provincial government elections and two terms of office. KwaZulu-Natal is the only province where the Inkatha Freedom Party remains a significant political contender. The author presents a detailed study of the realization, accumulation and exercise of institutionalized political power. She argues that political elite agency shapes, enables and undermines political institutions and is dependent on a multiplicity of currencies, including social and political capital and patterns of culture, respect and institutional capacity. [ASC Leiden abstract].