Southern Africa: The Complexity of the Coloured Identity in Southern Africa

In this article, southern Africa is used to refer to South Africa and Namibia because of the two countries’ intertwined histories.

Racial and ethnic categorisation took specific patterns in both countries because of the apartheid policy of racial segregation.

These patterns were unique and specific in both countries and, over time, came to inform racial and ethnic identifications in both countries.

Coloured people, with more or less the same cultural background, are found in both countries.

In…