1. A system of racial segregation and white supremacy formerly practiced in South Africa, characterized by legal discrimination and oppression of Black people and other non-white groups.
Usage: historical; South African English; often capitalized

Examples

• Baasskap was the dominant political system in South Africa for much of the 20th century.
• The laws of baasskap enforced strict racial divisions in housing, education, and employment.
• Resistance to baasskap grew throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
• Baasskap denied basic rights and freedoms to the majority Black population.
• The end of baasskap marked a significant turning point in South African history.