Full Text Available

Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.

Tracking the many meanings of activisms and occupations: an ethnographic study of ‘Reclaim the City’, in Woodstock and Green Point, Cape Town

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2019.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Wingfield, Matthew Michael
Other Authors: Robins, Steven L.
Format: Thesis
Language:en_ZA
Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2019
Subjects:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1867614015161630720
access_status_str Open Access
author Wingfield, Matthew Michael
author2 Robins, Steven L.
author_browse Robins, Steven L.
Wingfield, Matthew Michael
author_facet Robins, Steven L.
Wingfield, Matthew Michael
author_sort Wingfield, Matthew Michael
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv Stellenbosch University
description Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2019.
format Thesis
id oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/107065
institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language en_ZA
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:45:19.124Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2019
publishDateRange 2019
publishDateSort 2019
publisher Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
publisherStr Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
record_format dspace
source_str SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/107065 Tracking the many meanings of activisms and occupations: an ethnographic study of ‘Reclaim the City’, in Woodstock and Green Point, Cape Town Wingfield, Matthew Michael Robins, Steven L. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology & Social Anthropology. Urban renewal -- South Africa -- Cape Town Central business districts -- South Africa -- Cape Town Post-apartheid era -- South Africa Occupy movements -- Cities and towns -- Political aspects Reclaim the City (Organization) Housing -- South Africa -- Cape Town Land use -- South Africa -- Cape Town UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2019. 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. Masters 2019-11-06T07:50:48Z 2019-12-11T06:45:36Z 2019-11-06T07:50:48Z 2019-12-11T06:45:36Z 2019-12 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/107065 en_ZA Stellenbosch University viii, 95 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
spellingShingle Urban renewal -- South Africa -- Cape Town
Central business districts -- South Africa -- Cape Town
Post-apartheid era -- South Africa
Occupy movements -- Cities and towns -- Political aspects
Reclaim the City (Organization)
Housing -- South Africa -- Cape Town
Land use -- South Africa -- Cape Town
UCTD
Wingfield, Matthew Michael
Tracking the many meanings of activisms and occupations: an ethnographic study of ‘Reclaim the City’, in Woodstock and Green Point, Cape Town
title Tracking the many meanings of activisms and occupations: an ethnographic study of ‘Reclaim the City’, in Woodstock and Green Point, Cape Town
title_full Tracking the many meanings of activisms and occupations: an ethnographic study of ‘Reclaim the City’, in Woodstock and Green Point, Cape Town
title_fullStr Tracking the many meanings of activisms and occupations: an ethnographic study of ‘Reclaim the City’, in Woodstock and Green Point, Cape Town
title_full_unstemmed Tracking the many meanings of activisms and occupations: an ethnographic study of ‘Reclaim the City’, in Woodstock and Green Point, Cape Town
title_short Tracking the many meanings of activisms and occupations: an ethnographic study of ‘Reclaim the City’, in Woodstock and Green Point, Cape Town
title_sort tracking the many meanings of activisms and occupations an ethnographic study of reclaim the city in woodstock and green point cape town
topic Urban renewal -- South Africa -- Cape Town
Central business districts -- South Africa -- Cape Town
Post-apartheid era -- South Africa
Occupy movements -- Cities and towns -- Political aspects
Reclaim the City (Organization)
Housing -- South Africa -- Cape Town
Land use -- South Africa -- Cape Town
UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/107065
work_keys_str_mv AT wingfieldmatthewmichael trackingthemanymeaningsofactivismsandoccupationsanethnographicstudyofreclaimthecityinwoodstockandgreenpointcapetown