Settler structures and their resilient organisation: Sandiso Bazana, ‘Revisiting the Marikana massacre through anti-blackness: An Afropessimism perspective’, Organization, 32, 2, pp. 247-275 | settler colonial studies blog

Settler structures and their resilient organisation: Sandiso Bazana, ‘Revisiting the Marikana massacre through anti-blackness: An Afropessimism perspective’, Organization, 32, 2, pp. 247-275

24Feb25

Abstract: This paper employs an Afropessimism framework to critically analyse the Marikana massacre in South Africa, specifically examining the pervasive presence of anti-Blackness within organizational structures. Through an exploration of labour-management dynamics and conflict resolution mechanisms, the study underscores how anti-Black violence operates as a genocidal force under settler colonialism, perpetuating enduring states of social death among Black individuals. Utilizing a narrative case study approach, we illuminate the intricate interplay between anti-Blackness and settler colonialism, demonstrating how these forces dehumanize Black workers, leading to conditions of social death. This research enriches critical and postcolonial organizational studies by exposing corporate anti-Blackness within colonial contexts, centering on the unique experiences of Blackness, and engaging with Black narratives to elucidate intersections of anti-Blackness, capitalism, and racial oppression. Theoretically, it challenges conventional notions of humanity by interrogating the assumed humanity of Blackness and explores Afropessimism’s ethical implications for emancipation, particularly in relation to the dynamics of physical and social death within critical organization studies.

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