Shared institutions, not cultural segments, drive plural-society dynamics.

Evidence

Against this, Rex correctly argues that “the dynamics of the society turn upon the involvement of men of differing ethnic backgrounds in the same social institutions, viz., the slave plantation” (Rex 1973: 261). The same could be said of the attempts to extend the “plural society” paradigm, with its primacy of attention to cultural segmentation, and its ascription of the factor of cohesion to the instance of political monopoly, to South Africa. — Hall, Stuart, Essential Essays, Volume 1, 588

Categorization

Category: Contrarian or Surprising Claims

• DEFINE: Contrasts Furriwall/Smith’s plural-society thesis with Rex’s institutional-dynamics alternative.