African Studies Center - TUFS will hold the 23rd ASC Seminar. It is jointly organized by Kanto branch of Japan Association for African Studies. The Speaker is Dr. Mabutho Shangase, who is a lecturer of the Department of Political Sciences, University of Pretoria, and has been invited as a visiting professor of ASC. In this seminar, he will introduce a new concept of political science "temporal exponentiality" to analyze the dynamics of South African politics from Zuma to Ramaphosa regime.

◆Speaker: Dr. Mabutho Shangase
(Lecturer, University of Pretoria / Visiting Professor, ASC - TUFS)

◆Date & Time: Wednesday, November 14, 2018 5:40 pm - 7:10 pm

◆Venue: Room 305, Research and Lecture Building, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies

◆Language: English

◆Admission: Free

◆No pre-registration is needed.

◆Jointly organized by Kanto branch of Japan Association for African Studies

◆Title: Institutional Stability and Change in South African Politics: Introducing Temporal Exponentiality

◆Abstract:
How do we explain the state of South African politics today? The continuous evolution of political developments and outcomes warrants the formation of new concepts and mechanisms equipped with the requisite capacity to explicate phenomena. Temporal exponentiality could be understood at least at two levels. Firstly, temporal exponentiality can be defined as a phenomenon that arises of social and political interaction whereby one action or event sequentially leads to another. Secondly, temporal exponentiality emerges as an outcome or epiphenomenon brought to bear by macro level institutions within social and political life. By introducing the 'theory of macro level constraints' and the temporal mechanism of 'exponentiality' this paper follows the historical institutionalist tradition in political science in examining the macro level determinants of social and political behavior. Where most analysis fails, this paper draws linkages between micro level social interaction and the macro level institutions that enable or constrain social and political action. It is herein argued that the exponential nature of political events is a direct result of macro level institutions that structure the behavior of actors at a micro level. Because the behavior of actors is either enabled or constrained by macro level structures, the resulting events fragment unrecoverably into various paths hence the usage of exponentiality as a mechanism to explain the forms they assume.

◆Keywords: Historical Institutionalism, Macro Level Constraints, Temporality, Temporal Exponentiality, Path dependence