Remains of the Social is an interdisciplinary volume of essays that engages with what 'the social' might mean after apartheid; a condition referred to as 'the post-apartheid social'. The volume grapples with apartheid as a global phenomenon that extends beyond the borders of South Africa between 1948 and 1994 and foregrounds the tension between the weight of lived experience that was and is apartheid, the structures that condition that experience and a desire for a 'post-apartheid social' (think unity through difference). Collectively, the contributors argue for a recognition of the 'the post-apartheid' as a condition that names the labour of coming to terms with the ordering principles that apartheid both set in place and foreclosed. The volume seeks to provide a sense of the terrain on which 'the post-apartheid' - as a desire for a difference that is not apartheid's difference - unfolds, falters and is worked through.

This book portrays a visual and conceptual approach to old and new forms of prejudice and racial discrimination, through original artistic works and documentary material from the nineteenth century to the present day. It documents the main stages and characteristics of an infamous history which speaks not only of the South African experience, but of Western racial ideologies and cliches. Featuring key works from the most internationally acclaimed South African artists - Jane Alexander, David Goldblatt, William Kentridge, Zwelethu Mthethwa, Santu Mofokeng, Berni Searle, Penny Siopis, Sue Williamson, as well as emerging new artists including Conrad Botes, Churchill Madikida, Johannes Phokela, Nandipha Mntambo, Tracey Rose, Lolo Veleko, Donovan Ward. The book conveys the continuous vitality of the South African art scene and a renewed commitment to its historical context. Many original works are published here for the first time.