More news from the Socratic club

Last week on Wed 13 January Queen's History teacher Miss Davies led an informative session on Apartheid in South Africa . She drew on personal recollections of a childhood spent in a segregated society. Celia (IIJH) writes:

The third meeting of the Socratic club was as engaging as the first two. Last Wednesday we assembled to hear Miss Davies talk about Apartheid in South Africa. With only a vague understanding and knowledge of life under Apartheid, the lecture proved to be extremely informative. The majority of us were shocked to realize that Apartheid was a relatively recent regime that was only officially abolished in 1994, when Nelson Mandela was elected as the first democratic president of South Africa. Those attending the talk were interested to discover that Apartheid was introduced only after the Second World War as a response to and defence against the rise of communism. I was particularly surprised to learn that Apartheid effectively segregated people into four groups rather than just two, ranking everybody as part of a distinctive group. Miss Davies' personal recollections of the political changes included notably the first black children arriving at her school and the grand opening of the first South African McDonald's in her neighbourhood once trade sanctions were lifted. We considered the pros and cons of positive discrimination to redress the mistakes of the past and to minimise social injustice - an issue which is of concern to all multicultural societies. Once again the Socratic club gave us the chance to consider an issue from historical, political and ethical perspectives.

Posted: 20 Jan 2010