Book excerpt: In Overcoming Intolerance in South Africa, Gibson and Gouws investigate the degree to which the political culture of South Africa the beliefs, values, and attitudes toward politics held by ordinary people impedes or promotes the consolidation of democratic reform. One set of values is of particular concern for their research political tolerance. The authors contend that political tolerance is a crucial element of democratic political cultures in general, but that in the case of polyglot South Africa, tolerance is perhaps more important than any other democratic value.