Despite ongoing efforts to promote justice and equality, South Africa continues to grapple with the enduring legacy of apartheid. The systemic oppression faced by Black South Africans is notably visible in historically White spaces, such as organizations and institutions, where the rejection of blackness persists. Unfortunately, the lived experiences of those subjected to this systemic violence are underrepresented in dehumanization studies. This desktop study delves into the experiences of South African workplace employees through the lens of organizational dehumanization. By highlighting the structural barriers perpetuating these experiences, we can challenge the myths that uphold hierarchical inequality and identify interventions to address the institutionalized dehumanization that lingers in society.

Dr Melanie Cilliers is a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and the Reparative Quest, holding a prestigious NIHSS/SU postdoctoral fellowship. In 2020, Dr Cilliers earned her PhD in Psychiatry from the University of Stellenbosch, and has since focused on understanding the collective influence of structural violence on South African people. Her current research explores the nature and consequences of dehumanization in South African organizational settings, as well as the protective factors that mitigate against these experiences. Through her work, Dr Cilliers seeks to highlight the destructive outcomes of systemic and institutional violence in unequal social systems and promote social justice and equality in South Africa and beyond.

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