Coloured, Categorized, Capitalized: Identity, Trauma, and Racial Capitalism in post-apartheid South Africa

This presentation examines the complex formation and lived realities of Coloured identity in South Africa, tracing its origins in colonial and apartheid-era racial categorization. I explore how these categories have been structured and maintained through the logics of racial capitalism, producing both social and economic hierarchies. The analysis highlights the ongoing violence embedded in these systems and the ways individuals and communities navigate, resist, and work through the traumas associated with marginalization. Drawing on empirical findings, this research situates Coloured identity not as a fixed category but as a socially and economically mediated process, revealing how historical logics of race continue to shape contemporary experiences. The presentation offers insights into the interplay between identity, structural inequality, and resilience in a context shaped by racialized economic relations.

Leza Soldaat is an academic from South Africa and occupies roles such as a Research Supervisor at Boston City Campus. She is also a PhD Candidate in Sociology at Stellenbosch University – focusing on minority studies, decoloniality, and language politics. Her expertise is in feminist and decolonial theory – with emphasis on racial capitalism, social reproduction theory, care work, and indigenous knowledge systems. She holds extensive experience in teaching, quality assurance, supervision, and curriculum design in higher education. Passionate about critical pedagogy and inclusive scholarship, she combines academic rigour with a creative approach to knowledge production and social transformation