Introduction

The concept of the nation-state is core to the social sciences and humanities of its direct usefulness - in its social, political, economic and cultural dimensions- for understanding the meanings and identities its subjects wish to project about it. In this sense the State of the Nation publications of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) are not purely descriptions, but rather representations of the quality and attributes of the inner workings, position, location, architecture and performance of the state and its multifaceted relationships with society and its citizens. since the launch of the first edition State of the Nation in 2003, the series has offered public intellectuals, scholars, policy-makers, the media and interested lay members of the public, in South Africa and abroad, informed and stimulating analyses of the state of the South African nation. Internationaly, the series has been acknowledged for its important in-depth and independent analyses of the national situation, and has been selected by some university departments across the world as prescribed or highly recommended reading.