Lecture Series | The Afterlife of Apartheid's Immorality Act: Enduring Legacies of the Criminalization of Interracial Desire

In 1950 the apartheid regime passed the Immorality (Amendment) Act that criminalized heterosexual desire between “Europeans” and “non-Europeans.” During the 35 years the Act was on the statute book over 19,000 South Africans, mostly white men and Black women, were fully prosecuted and more than 11,000 convicted for crossing the colour line for sexual intimacy. The brutality with which the state enforced the Act has been all but forgotten since the democratic transition; the enduring legacies of that brutality have yet to be fully acknowledged let alone addressed by the state and civil society. This presentation will discuss some of the ways the Immorality Act haunts contemporary South Africa. In particular, Prof Klausen will explain how the Act greatly expanded the South African Police’s discretionary power and access to Black women’s bodies, both of which the police vigorously exploited. She argues that centering this dimension of policing during apartheid helps us better understand the ongoing operation of sexual violence perpetrated by police officers against Black women today.

In this episode, we explore the enduring legacies of apartheid-era laws in South Africa. In our latest episode, Prof Susanne Klausen presents a compelling lecture on "The Afterlife of Apartheid's Immorality Act: Enduring Legacies of the Criminalization of Interracial Desire." This episode provides an in-depth look at how the Immorality Act, which criminalized interracial relationships, left a lasting impact on South African society long after its repeal. Prof Klausen examines the expanded powers it gave to the police and the subsequent exploitation of Black women's bodies, drawing connections to present-day issues of sexual violence and racial injustice.

Following the lecture, Dr. Anell Daries offers a critical response, highlighting the challenges of transformation within South African institutions and the ongoing influence of apartheid-era policies. The episode also includes a dynamic discussion with contributions from various scholars, exploring how historical injustices have become normalized over time and the necessity of addressing these legacies to achieve genuine social justice. Tune in to this episode to gain a deeper understanding of the intricate ways in which apartheid laws continue to shape contemporary South Africa, and the vital importance of confronting these historical harms for a more equitable future.

Susanne M. Klausen

Susanne M. Klausen is the Julia Gregg Brill Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at The Pennsylvania State University. Her main areas of research are the history of fertility politics in modern South Africa, nationalism and sexuality, and transnational movements for reproductive justice. She is the author of Race, Maternity, and the Politics of Birth Control in South Africa, 1910-1939 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004) and Abortion Under Apartheid: Nationalism, Sexuality, and Women’s Reproductive Rights in South Africa (Oxford University Press, 2015) that won the Women’s History Prize awarded by the Canadian Committee on Women’s History (2016) and the Joel Gregory Prize awarded by the Canadian Association of African Studies (2016). Prof Klausen has published articles in a range of scholarly journals and is currently writing a monograph on the criminalization of interracial heterosex in South Africa during apartheid.