| Popis: |
This thesis examines practices of the Informal Settlements Network (ISN), part of the South African Slum Dwellers International (SA SDI) Alliance, as initiators of civic participation in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. The SA SDI Alliance is made up of four organisations namely the Community Organization Resource Centre (CORC), Utshani Fund, the Informal Settlement Network (ISN) and the Federation of the Urban Poor (FEDUP). Through the thesis, I aim to provide an understanding of the nature of civic participation and the formation of "responsible" citizens amongst the urban poor in Khayelitsha, South Africa (Brown, 2015, p. 133). Critical in developing this understanding are the tools of the SA SDI Alliance through which the urban poor of Khayelitsha, Cape Town are allowed to participate in civic affairs. Drawing on theories of neoliberal governmentality the study traces how civic participation facilitated by the SA SDI Alliance manifests nationally through policy and at the provincial and local government level. The ultimate objective of the thesis centres on how participation under neoliberalism affects the lives of people in urban settlements through the activities of self-help organisations such as ISN. Using semi-structured interviews and shadowing three community mediators, the study unpacks the life trajectories and lived experiences of community mediators who are members of ISN. Whilst, describing these community mediators' lived experiences, the thesis examines the tension points relating to how ISN members navigate personal, community and institutions of participations that we do not see in the public discourse. The closer examination of these tension points enhances our understanding of the theoretical discourse surrounding the challenges and contradictions that participants face under neoliberalism. These challenges include the interface with fluid community dynamics. Furthermore, the thesis provides insights into the mutability of roles assumed by the community mediators and how it practically manifests on the ground. |
