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Citizenship in social movements : constructing alternatives in the Anti-privatization forum, South Africa
Document type: report
Download file(s):
188046 (291 KB)
Abstract:
This paper explores how social movements construct citizenship and redefine the very notion of the political realm. Social movements have quickly become powerful actors within South Africa’s civil society. They are largely contesting the basis upon which South Africa’s post-apartheid reality has been constructed according to specific policies. Citizenship is in turn used as a lens of analysis to show how social movements in South Africa are contesting macro and micro-economic policies and government re-structuring. The case analysis of the Anti-Privatisation Forum (APF) represents one of countless South African movements searching for alternatives to ongoing socio-economic policy. The overarching aim of this paper is to display how social movements actively construct citizenship, and to interrogate the strategies that are used to advance their agenda. The outcome of this article is therefore to reignite the meaning of citizenship as a lens for understanding the goals and methods of citizen lead activism. Moreover, the article reveals the competing and conflicting interpretations of rights existing between the state and other actors as well as an interrogation of further strategies that could be explored for social movements.
Authors:
Cooper, M.
Series Title:
The power of civil society : working paper series
Country:
South Africa
Category:
Research
Serial number:
7
ISSN:
1879-7105
Keywords:
civil society
Language:
eng
Organization:
Hivos – Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation
Organization:
ISS - Institute of Social Studies
PAGE:
17
Place:
The Hague
Publisher:
Hivos [etc.]
Year:
2010
Region:
Southern Africa
Right:
© 2010 Hivos & ISS
Subject:
Social and Political Change
Title:
Citizenship in social movements : constructing alternatives in the Anti-privatization forum, South Africa