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How do individuals and organisations move beyond the boundaries of
constitutional or legal constructs to challenge neoliberalism and
capitalism? As major urban areas have become the principal sites of
poor and working-class social upheaval in the early twenty-first
century, the chapters in this book explore key cities in the Global
South. Through detailed case studies, Urban Revolt unravels the
potential and limitations of urban social movements on an
international level.
On 16th August 2012, thirty-four black mineworkers were gunned down
by the police under the auspices of South Africa's African National
Congress (ANC) in what has become known as the Marikana massacre.
This attempt to drown independent working-class power in blood
backfired and is now recognised as a turning point in the country's
history. The Spirit of Marikana tells the story of the uncelebrated
leaders at the world's three largest platinum mining companies who
survived the barrage of state violence, intimidation, torture and
murder which was being perpetrated during this tumultuous period.
What began as a discussion about wage increases between two workers
in the changing rooms at one mine became a rallying cry for
economic freedom and basic dignity. This gripping ethnographic
account is the first comprehensive study of this movement,
revealing how seemingly ordinary people became heroic figures who
transformed their workplace and their country.
From the Arab Uprising, to anti-austerity protests in Europe and
the US Occupy Movement, to uprisings in Brazil and Turkey,
resistance from below is flourishing. Whereas analysts have tended
to look North in their analysis of the recent global protest wave,
this volume develops a Southern perspective through a deep
engagement with the case of South Africa, which has experienced
widespread popular resistance for more than a decade. Combining
critical theoretical perspectives with extensive qualitative
fieldwork and rich case studies, Southern Resistance in Critical
Perspective situates South Africa's contentious democracy in
relation to both the economic insecurity of contemporary global
capitalism and the constantly shifting political terrain of
post-apartheid nationalism. The analysis integrates worker,
community and political party organizing into a broader narrative
of resistance, bridging historical divisions between social
movement studies, labor studies and political sociology.
From the Arab Uprising, to anti-austerity protests in Europe and
the US Occupy Movement, to uprisings in Brazil and Turkey,
resistance from below is flourishing. Whereas analysts have tended
to look North in their analysis of the recent global protest wave,
this volume develops a Southern perspective through a deep
engagement with the case of South Africa, which has experienced
widespread popular resistance for more than a decade. Combining
critical theoretical perspectives with extensive qualitative
fieldwork and rich case studies, Southern Resistance in Critical
Perspective situates South Africa's contentious democracy in
relation to both the economic insecurity of contemporary global
capitalism and the constantly shifting political terrain of
post-apartheid nationalism. The analysis integrates worker,
community and political party organizing into a broader narrative
of resistance, bridging historical divisions between social
movement studies, labor studies and political sociology.
The last two decades have ushered in what has become known as a
participatory revolution, with consultants, advisors, and
non-profits called into communities, classrooms, and corporations
alike to listen to ordinary people. With exclusively bureaucratic
approaches no longer en vogue, authorities now opt for "open"
forums for engagement. In The Participation Paradox Luke Sinwell
argues that amplifying the voices of the poor and dispossessed is
often a quick fix incapable of delivering concrete and lasting
change. The ideology of public consultation and grassroots
democracy can be a smokescreen for a cost-effective means by which
to implement top-down decisions. As participation has become
mainstreamed by governments around the world, so have its radical
roots become tamed by neoliberal forces that reinforce existing
relationships of power. Drawing from oral testimonies and
ethnographic research, Sinwell presents a case study of one of the
poorest and most defiant Black informal settlements in
Johannesburg, South Africa - Thembelihle, which consists of more
than twenty thousand residents - highlighting the promises and
pitfalls of participatory approaches to development. Providing a
critical lens for understanding grassroots democracy, The
Participation Paradox foregrounds alternatives capable of
reclaiming participation's emancipatory potential.
Contesting Transformation is a sober and critical reflection on the
wave of social movement struggles which have taken place in
post-Apartheid South Africa. Moving beyond a social movement
scholarship that has tended to romanticise emergent movements, this
collection takes stock of the contradiction and complexity that is
necessarily entangled in all forms of popular resistance. Through
an exploration of labour strikes, legal organisations, community
protest and local government elections, the contributors consider
how different movements conceive of transformation and assess the
extent to which these understandings challenge the narrative of the
ruling African National Congress (ANC). An empirically grounded
analysis from a coterie of leading researchers and analysts,
Contesting Transformation is the definitive critical survey of the
state of popular struggle in South Africa today.
Contesting Transformation is a sober and critical reflection on the
wave of social movement struggles which have taken place in
post-Apartheid South Africa. Moving beyond a social movement
scholarship that has tended to romanticise emergent movements, this
collection takes stock of the contradiction and complexity that is
necessarily entangled in all forms of popular resistance. Through
an exploration of labour strikes, legal organisations, community
protest and local government elections, the contributors consider
how different movements conceive of transformation and assess the
extent to which these understandings challenge the narrative of the
ruling African National Congress (ANC). An empirically grounded
analysis from a coterie of leading researchers and analysts,
Contesting Transformation is the definitive critical survey of the
state of popular struggle in South Africa today.
The urban poor and working class now make up the majority of the
world's population, which is expected to expand to 10 billion by
midcentury. Much of the growth results from the displacement of
rural peasants to the urban cores, resulting in the vast expansion
of megacities with populations of up to 20 million people in the
global South. The proliferation of informal settlements and slums
has resulted in urban areas becoming the principal sites of social
upheaval as people seek to improve their living conditions. Drawing
on case studies from Africa, Latin America, and Asia, the various
chapters in this book map and analyze the conditions in which the
majority of the world exists and struggles in the contemporary
urban context. Advancing beyond a liberal perspective, the book
unpacks the ways in which Urban Social Movements in the global
South have challenged or transformed how the city is organized and
created possibilities for a revolutionary alternative to the
capitalist hegemonic framework.
On 16th August 2012, thirty-four black mineworkers were gunned down
by the police under the auspices of South Africa's African National
Congress (ANC) in what has become known as the Marikana massacre.
This attempt to drown independent working-class power in blood
backfired and is now recognised as a turning point in the country's
history. The Spirit of Marikana tells the story of the uncelebrated
leaders at the world's three largest platinum mining companies who
survived the barrage of state violence, intimidation, torture and
murder which was being perpetrated during this tumultuous period.
What began as a discussion about wage increases between two workers
in the changing rooms at one mine became a rallying cry for
economic freedom and basic dignity. This gripping ethnographic
account is the first comprehensive study of this movement,
revealing how seemingly ordinary people became heroic figures who
transformed their workplace and their country.
The Marikana Massacre of August 16, 2012, was the single most
lethal use of force by South African security forces against
civilians since the end of apartheid. Those killed were mineworkers
in support of a pay raise. Through a series of interviews conducted
with workers who survived the attack, this account documents and
examines the controversial shootings in great detail, beginning
with a valuable history of the events leading up to the killing of
workers, and including eyewitness accounts of the violence and
interviews with family members of those who perished.
While the official Farlam Commission investigation of the massacre
is still ongoing, many South Africans do not hold much confidence
in the government's ability to examine its own complicity in these
events. "Marikana," on the other hand, examines the various roles
played by the African National Congress, the mine company, and the
National Union of Mineworkers in creating the conditions that led
to the massacre. While the commission's investigations take place
in a courtroom setting tilted toward those in power, "Marikana"
documents testimony from the mineworkers in the days before
official statements were even gathered, offering an unusually
immediate and unfiltered look at the reality from the perspective
of those most directly affected. Enhanced by vivid maps that make
clear the setting and situation of the events, "Marikana" is an
invaluable work of history, journalism, sociology, and activism.
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