Drawing from the ranks of academics, political analysts, civil society, and the research community, this annual collection of intellectual commentaries features a range of pertinent and captivating contemporary viewpoints on social and cultural South African issues. With discussions on the role of black consciousness in South African politics, urbanism and the changing South African housing policy, globalization and transformation in the South African Merchant Navy, and South Africa's role in the United Nations Security Council, these insightful essays each reflect a finger kept firmly on the South African pulse.