Division, rather than unity, still appears to characterise contemporary South African society despite the many attempts and strategies aimed at “transformation”. A call for tolerance is often presented as the panacea for our divided nation. However, the concept of tolerance falls short in addressing lack of social integration and facilitating true change. Not only do the proponents of “tolerance” openly admit to its unsuitability in addressing issues of racism, but the concept itself is problematic in terms of its implementation. This article suggests that deep and lasting change can more effectively be achieved through the facilitation of spaces which allow for an encounter with the humanity of the “other”. I reflect on student responses to such an encounter, which appear to have much in common with the human responses to beauty as described by Elaine Scarry in her piece entitled “On Beauty and Being Just”. The analogy is reflected in a number of similarities noted – including the desire to replicate or recreate the encounter, the feeling of having been awakened to a fresh experience of the world, a sense of conviction regarding future action and an awareness of previous error in judgement. Similarly, such encounters appear to engender a “radical decentring” which encompasses a change in one’s state of consciousness, moving one from a limiting subjectivity to a spontaneous focus on the interests of the other. In light of these correlations, I argue that such encounters hold much potential to effect change in our society.

尽管进行了许多旨在“变革”的尝试和战略，但分裂而不是统一仍然是当代南非社会的特征。呼吁宽容经常被视为我们分裂国家的灵丹妙药。但是，宽容的概念在解决缺乏社会融合和促进真正的变革方面不足。“宽容”的拥护者不仅公开承认其不适合解决种族主义问题，而且这一概念本身在实施方面也存在问题。本文建议，通过促进空间的融合，可以更有效地实现深刻而持久的变化，从而可以与“另一方”的人类相遇。我反思学生对这种遭遇的反应，正如伊莱恩·斯卡里（Elaine Scarry）在她的题为《论美与公正》中所述，这与人类对美的反应似乎有很多共通之处。类比反映在许多相似之处上，包括复制或重现相遇的渴望，被世界新体验唤醒的感觉，对未来行动的信念和对先前错误判断的认识。 。同样，这种相遇似乎引起了“激进的分散”，其中包括一个人意识状态的改变，使一个人从有限的主观性转向自发地关注另一个人的利益。鉴于这些相关性，我认为这种相遇在影响社会变革方面具有很大的潜力。这种类比反映在许多相似之处上，包括复制或重新创建相遇的渴望，被世界新体验唤醒的感觉，对未来行动的信念和对先前错误判断的认识。 。同样，这种相遇似乎引起了一种“激进的偏心”，它涵盖了一个人意识状态的改变，使一个人从有限的主观性转变为对另一个人利益的自发关注。根据这些相关性，我认为这样的遭遇具有很大的潜力来影响我们社会的变化。这种类比反映在许多相似之处上，包括复制或重新创建相遇的渴望，被世界新体验唤醒的感觉，对未来行动的信念和对先前错误判断的认识。 。同样，这种相遇似乎引起了“激进的分散”，其中包括一个人意识状态的改变，使一个人从有限的主观性转向自发地关注另一个人的利益。鉴于这些相关性，我认为这种相遇在影响社会变革方面具有很大的潜力。对未来行动的信念和对先前错误判断的意识。同样，这种相遇似乎引起了“激进的分散”，其中包括一个人意识状态的改变，使一个人从有限的主观性转向自发地关注另一个人的利益。鉴于这些相关性，我认为这种相遇在影响社会变革方面具有很大的潜力。对未来行动的信念和对先前错误判断的意识。同样，这种相遇似乎引起了一种“激进的偏心”，它涵盖了一个人意识状态的改变，使一个人从有限的主观性转变为对另一个人利益的自发关注。鉴于这些相关性，我认为这种相遇在影响社会变革方面具有很大的潜力。