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Reorganizations of space and culture in a car-oriented society: the case of Johannesburg

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Main Author: Laqui, Laura
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Social Development 2015
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access_status_str Open Access
author Laqui, Laura
author_browse Laqui, Laura
author_facet Laqui, Laura
author_sort Laqui, Laura
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description Includes abstract.
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/12504
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:32:29.432Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2015
publishDateRange 2015
publishDateSort 2015
publisher Department of Social Development
publisherStr Department of Social Development
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source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/12504 Reorganizations of space and culture in a car-oriented society: the case of Johannesburg Laqui, Laura Development Studies Includes abstract. This dissertation aims to identify the multi-faceted ways in which the car enabled a deep restructuring of South Africa's cultural and spatial spheres, taking Johannesburg as a context from which to extract specific insights. The two most popular modes of transportation in South Africa-the car and the minibus taxi-run on the nation's dominant system of highways and roads that came with the mass importation of the car. Because of their high usage, these two transportation modes are compared, contrasted and analyzed throughout the research. Non-instrumental factors associated with the two transport modes (i.e. a means to express oneself, social status, lifestyle and culture) are scrutinized. These factors shape transport choice and play an integral role in the relationships mobility has with space and culture. The car not only helped enable a dramatic shift in geography, but society at-large. This shift laid the groundwork for the desired lifestyle that is embodied by much of the alluring non-instrumental factors identified by respondents and the car advertisements reviewed. Conversely, this dissertation also identifies the multi-faceted ways people without cars participate in a ...... car-oriented society. The layers of informality within the minibus taxi industry, its social networks, culture and spatial organizations are analyzed and compared with that of the car. Transportation studies, government papers, theories within the disciplines of sociology, cultural studies and social psychology were integrated to support the research. Using grounded theory, this study also includes personal insights from private car and public transport users. Car advertisements produced by four of the top-selling car manufacturers in South Africa were reviewed using semiotic analysis and compared with participant responses. Rather than offering a theoretical solution to a car-oriented society, this dissertation offers a way to rethink the geography, lifestyle, culture, institutions, spaces and people associated with the private car and public transport. Ultimately, this may contribute to how a more positive characterization of public transport can be achieved. 2 2015-02-17T12:57:23Z 2015-02-17T12:57:23Z 2009 Master Thesis Masters MPhil http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12504 eng application/pdf Department of Social Development Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Development Studies
Laqui, Laura
Reorganizations of space and culture in a car-oriented society: the case of Johannesburg
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Reorganizations of space and culture in a car-oriented society: the case of Johannesburg
title_full Reorganizations of space and culture in a car-oriented society: the case of Johannesburg
title_fullStr Reorganizations of space and culture in a car-oriented society: the case of Johannesburg
title_full_unstemmed Reorganizations of space and culture in a car-oriented society: the case of Johannesburg
title_short Reorganizations of space and culture in a car-oriented society: the case of Johannesburg
title_sort reorganizations of space and culture in a car oriented society the case of johannesburg
topic Development Studies
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12504
work_keys_str_mv AT laquilaura reorganizationsofspaceandcultureinacarorientedsocietythecaseofjohannesburg