Politikon

Aims & Scope

Published since 1974, Politikon: South African Journal of Political Studies is the official journal of the South African Association of Political Studies.

The journal has no connection to Politikon: IAPSS Journal of Political Science, founded by the International Association for Political Science Students in 2001.

Politikon focuses primarily on South African politics and international relations, but not exclusively so.

The journal is committed to publishing quality scholarship on Southern African politics, African politics and global political issues, both from a political economy and socio-political perspective.

We particularly welcome submissions on topical socio-political and political economy issues in Global South.

Over the years the journal has published articles by some of the world’s leading political scientists, including Arend Lijphart, Samuel Huntington, and Philippe Schmitter.

It has also featured important contributions from South Africa’s leading political philosophers, political scientists and international relations experts.

It has proved an influential journal, particularly in debates over the merits of South Africa’s constitutional reforms (in 1983 and 1994), as well as South Africa’s negotiated settlement (1990–94).

In the last few years special issues have focused on women and politics in South Africa, the state of the discipline in South Africa, and the status of the South African democracy.

Recent articles have looked at the negotiated transition from apartheid to democracy, aspects of identity politics in post-apartheid South Africa and issues of democratic consolidation and quality of democracy.

View Aims & Scope

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Metrics & Ranking

Impact Factor

Year	Value
2025	0.6
2024	0.90

SJR (SCImago Journal Rank)

Year	Value
2024	0.218

Quartile

Year	Value
2024	Q3

h-index

Year	Value
2024	30

Journal Rank

Year	Value
2024	20184

Journal Citation Indicator

Year	Value
2024	86

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Abstracting & Indexing

Journal is indexed in leading academic databases, ensuring global visibility and accessibility of our peer-reviewed research.

• Scopus
• Google Scholar
• Web of Science

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Subjects & Keywords

Journal’s research areas, covering key disciplines and specialized sub-topics in Social Sciences, designed to support cutting-edge academic discovery.

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Most Cited Articles

The Most Cited Articles section features the journal's most impactful research, based on citation counts. These articles have been referenced frequently by other researchers, indicating their significant contribution to their respective fields.

• The concept of a middle power in international relations: distinguishing between emerging and traditional middle powers

  Citation: 234

  Authors: Eduard

• The Symbolic Politics of Sport Mega-Events: 2010 in Comparative Perspective

  Citation: 111

  Authors: David

• The Fourth Industrial Revolution – The Case of South Africa

  Citation: 104

  Authors: Ewan

• Masculinities without Tradition

  Citation: 72

  Authors: Kopano

• Glitz, Glamour and the Gautrain: Mega-Projects as Political Symbols

  Citation: 68

  Authors: Janis

• Overcoming apartheid: can truth reconcile a divided nation?

  Citation: 61

  Authors: James L.

• Ubu and Ubuntu: On the dialectics of apartheid and nation building

  Citation: 57

  Authors: Christoph

• Sport and National Identity: A Comparison of the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cupsâ„¢

  Citation: 55

  Authors: Norbert

• The Green Economy in South Africa: Global Discourses and Local Politics

  Citation: 54

  Authors: Carl

• Xenophobia, State and Society in South Africa, 2008–2010

  Citation: 53

  Authors: David

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