Wingfield, Matthew Michael (2019-12)
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the tumultuous post-apartheid period in South Africa, housing has been a topic of continuous contention by both politicians and community-based organisations (CBOs). While apartheid-era policies like the Group Areas Act (GAA) have been abolished, a “spatial apartheid” continues to exist throughout the country. This research focuses on the context of Cape Town specifically, where it looks at a social movement named Reclaim the City (RTC) which has come to fight against this “spatial apartheid” and the exclusionary housing practices produced by gentrification. By problematising the implicitly homogeneous label of “activist”, this research illustrates how the members of RTC differ widely, with each having their own personal commitments, subjectivities, and desires, which are weighed with their commitment to the movement. Furthermore, this research investigates the negotiation of the two occupations held by RTC within the inner city, one in Woodstock and the other in Green Point, with local government and other institutions. Lastly, this research then focuses on the relationship between RTC and the non-governmental organisation (NGO) that it works in conjunction with, named Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU). This relationship is differentiated from the traditional power relations and hierarchies found between social movements and NGOs, where the form of their collaboration is tentatively described as a “purposive coalition”. This research has been conducted over a year-long period consisting of participant observation and semi-structured interviews.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Behuising is ‘n onderwerp wat konstant bestry word deur beide politici en gemeenskapgebaseerde organisasies (CBOs) in hierdie onstuimige post-apartheid periode van Suid-Afrika. Terwyl apartheids-era wette soos die Groep Areas Wet al vernietig is, bly daar steeds ‘n “ruimtelike apartheid” wat voortbestaan in die land. Hierdie navorsing is gefokus op die konteks van Kaapstad. Dit kyk na ‘n sociale beweging, genaamd ‘Reclaim the City’ (RTC), wat veg teen hierdie “ruimtelike apartheid” en die uitsluitende behuising toepassings wat deur gentrifikasie beoefen word. Sodoende deur die vanselfsprekende homogeen etiket van die “aktivis” te problematiseer. Die navorsing wys hoe die lede van RTC baie verskil van mekaar. Elke lid het sy eie persoonlike verpligtinge, subjektiwiteite, en begeertes, wat opgeweeg word met lede se deelname tot die sociale beweging. Verder ondersoek hierdie navorsing ook die onderhandelinge van twee okkupasies van die RTC binne die midde-stad, een in Woodstock en die ander in Groenpunt, met die plaaslike regering en ander organisasies. Laastens fokus hierdie navorsing op die verhouding tussen die RTC wat saam met die nie-regerings organisasie (NGO), Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU), werk. Hierdie verhouding verskil van traditionele mags-verhoudinge en hiërargieë wat tipies gevind word tussen sociale bewegings en NGOs. Die vorm van hul samewerking word voorlopig beskryf as ‘n “doelgerigte koalisie”. Hierdie navorsing is oor ‘n tydperk van een jaar gedoen en bestaan uit deelnemende-observasie en semi-gestruktueerde onderhoude.
Please refer to this item in SUNScholar by using the following persistent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/107065
Masters Degrees (Sociology and Social Anthropology)