African Affairs Advance Access originally published online on September 1, 2005
African Affairs 2005 104(417):615-634; doi:10.1093/afraf/adi069
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Globalization, marginalization and contemporary social movements in South Africa
Richard Ballard is in the School of Development Studies and Centre for Civil Society, University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Adam Habib is in the Human Sciences Research Council and School of Development Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.
Imraan Valodia is in the School of Development Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.
Elke Zuern is in the Department of Politics, Sarah Lawrence College, New York.
The objective of this article is to provide a broad framework for situating social movements in post-apartheid South Africa. The discussion begins with a brief review of approaches to the study of social movements and then turns to the challenges presented by globalization. South African democratization coincided with its increasing economic, social and political engagement with the rest of the world. One of the key effects of this has been massive job losses and resultant increases in poverty and inequality. Finally, the article reviews key features of movements in postapartheid South Africa. Overwhelmingly, these movements are driven by worsening poverty, with struggles addressing both labour issues and consumption issues. In addition, some movements confront questions of social exclusion in terms of gender, sexuality and citizenship which sit at the intersection of recognition and redistribution. Given the failure of the post-apartheid party political system to generate opposition to the left of the African National Congress (ANC), social movements provide a vital counterbalance to promote the needs of the poor in political agendas.
1. Patrick Bond, Elite Transition: From apartheid to neoliberalism in South Africa (Pluto Press, London, 2000); Hein Marais, South Africa, Limits to Change: The political economy of transformation (Zed Books, London, 1998).
2. Ashwin eDsai, We Are the Poors (Monthly Review Press, New York, 2002).
3. Charles Tilly, ‘Models and realities of popular action’, Social Research 52, 4 (1985), pp. 735–736.
4. Elizabeth Jelin, 1986, quoted in A. Escobar and S. Alvarez (eds), The Making of Social Movements in Latin America: Identity, strategy and democracy (Westview Press, Boulder, CO, 1992), p. 15.
5. Adam Habib and Hermien Kotze, ‘Civil society, governance and development in an era of globalisation’, in Omano Edigheji and Guy Mhone (eds), Governance in the New South Africa (UCT Press, Cape Town, 2003), p. 3; Adam Habib, ‘State-civil society relations in post-apartheid South Africa’ in J. Daniels, A. Habib and R. Southall (eds), State of the Nation 2003–2004 (HSRC Publishers, Cape Town, 2003), pp. 227–241.
6. Jean Cohen ‘Strategy of identity: new theoretical paradigms and contemporary social movements’, Social Research 52, 4 (1985), p. 664.
7. Ibid.; Donatella Della Porta and Mario Diana, Social Movements: An introduction (Blackwell Publishers, Oxford, 1999); Mark I. Lichbach, ‘Contending theories of contentious politics and the structure-action problem of social order’ Annual Review of Political Science, Vol. 1 (University of California, Berkeley, CA, 1998), pp. 401–424; Doug McAdam, John McCarthy and Mayer Zald (eds), Comparative Perspectives on Social Movements: Political opportunities, mobilizing structures, and cultural framings (Cambridge University Press, New York, 1996); Doug McAdam, Sidney Tarrow, and Charles Tilly, ‘Toward an integrated perspective on social movements and revolution’, in Mark Irving Lichbach and Alan S. Zuckerman (eds), Comparative Politics: Rationality, culture and structure (Cambridge University Press, New York, 1997), pp. 142–173; Doug McAdam; Sidney Tarrow and Charles Tilly, Dynamics of Contention (Cambridge University Press, New York, 2001).
8. For example, John Clark (ed.), Global Civic Engagement: Civil society and transnational action (Earthscan, London, 2003); Robin Cohen and Shirin Rai (eds), Global Social Movements (Athlone Press, London, 2000); Donatella Della Porta and Sidney Tarrow, ‘Transnational processes and social activism: an introduction’, in Donatella Della Porta and Sidney Tarrow (eds), Transnational Protest and Global Activism (Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Oxford, 2005), pp. 1–17; Anna Florini (ed.), The Third Force: The rise of transnational civil society (Japan Center for International Exchange, Tokyo/Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington DC, 2000); John Keane, Global Civil Society? (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2003); Margaret Keck and Kathryn Sikkink, Activists Beyond Borders: Transnational activist networks in international politics (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1998); Sanjeev Khagram, James Riker and Kathryn Sikkink (eds), Restructuring World Politics: Transnational social movements, networks and norms (University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis MN, 2002); Naomi Klein, No Logo (Flamingo, London, 2001); Robert O’Brien, Anna Marie Goetz, Jan Aart Scholte and Marc Williams, Contesting Global Governance: Multilateral economic institutions and global social movements (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000).
9. Anthony Giddens, The Constitution of Society: Outline of the theory of structuration (Polity Press, Cambridge, 1984); David Harvey, The Condition of Postmodernity (Blackwell, Oxford, 1989).
10. Anthony Giddens, The Consequences of Modernity (Polity Press, Cambridge, 1990), p. 64.
11. Jonathan Michie and Vishnu Padayachee (eds), The Political Economy of South Africa’s Transition (Dryden Press, London, 1997).
12. Nicoli Nattrass, ‘The state of the economy: a crisis of employment’, in J. Daniels, A. Habib and R. Southall (eds), State of Nation 2003–2004 (HSRC Publishers & Zed, Pretoria, 2003), pp. 141–157.
13. Report of the Committee of Inquiry into a Comprehensive System of Social Security for South Africa, Transforming the Present - Protecting the Future (Department of Social Development, Pretoria, 2002), p. 19.
14. David Everatt, ‘The politics of poverty in South Africa’, in D. Everatt and V. Maphai (eds), The (Real) State of the Nation (Interfund, Johannesburg, 2003) pp. 75–100.
15. Report of the Committee of Inquiry into a Comprehensive System of Social Security for South Africa, p. 27.
16. Debbie Budlander, The People’s Voices (1998) National Speak Out on Poverty Hearings, March to June 1998 (Commission on Gender Equality, South African Human Rights Commission and the South African NGO Coalition, Johannesburg 1998), p. 17.
17. Desai, We are the Poors, p. 1.
18. Fiona Lumsden and Alex Loftus, ‘Inanda’s struggle for water through pipes and tunnels: exploring state-civil society relations in a post-apartheid informal settlement’, CCS Research Report 6 (Centre for Civil Society, Durban, 2003), p. 19.
19. Hein Marais, ‘The RDP: is there life after Gear?’, Development Update, 1, 1 (1997), no page. http://www.interfund.org.za/pdffiles/vol1_one/rdp.pdf.
20. Jacqui Boulle, ‘Putting the voluntary sector back on the map’, Development Update, 1, 1 (1997), no page. http://www.interfund.org.za/pdffiles/vol1_one/volsec.pdf.
21. Patrick Bond, Talk Left, Walk Right: South Africa’s frustrated global reforms (University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, Scottsville, 2004).
22. Peter Dwyer, ‘The contentious politics of the Concerned Citizens Forum’ (Centre for Civil Society and School of Development Studies research report, Durban, 2004), viewable at www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs
23. Steven Friedman and Shauna Mottiar, ‘A rewarding engagement? The Treatment Action Campaign and the politics of HIV/AIDS’ (Centre for Civil Society and School of Development Studies research report, Durban, 2004). Viewable at www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs
24. Cyrus Rustomjee, ‘The Jubilee movement’ (Centre for Civil Society and School of Development Studies research report, Durban, 2004). Viewable at www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs
25. Annie Devenish and Caroline Skinner, ‘The Self-Employed Womens’ Union’ (Centre for Civil Society and School of Development Studies research report, Durban, 2004). Viewable at www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs
26. Stephen Greenberg, ‘The Landless People’s Movement and the failure of post-apartheid land reform’ (Centre for Civil Society and School of Development Studies research report, Durban, 2004). Viewable at www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs
27. Drew Forrest, ‘Social movements: "ultra-left" or "global citizens"?’ Mail and Guardian, Johannesburg, 31 February 2003, pp. 9–11.
28. John Pape and David McDonald, ‘Introduction’, in David McDonald and John Pape (eds), Cost Recovery and the Crisis of Service Delivery in South Africa (HSRC Publishers, Cape Town, 2002) pp. 1–14.
30. Adam Habib and Imraan Valodia, ‘Reconstructing a social movement in an era of globalisation: a case study of the Congress of South African Trade Unions’ (Centre for Civil Society and School of Development Studies research report, Durban, 2004). Viewable at www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs
31. Devenish and Skinner, ‘The Self-Employed Womens’ Union’.
32. Sophie Oldfield and Kristian Stokke, ‘Building unity in diversity: social movement activism in the Western Cape anti-eviction campaign’ (Centre for Civil Society and School of Development Studies research report, Durban, 2004). Viewable at www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs
33. Sakhela Buhlungu, ‘The Anti-Privatisation Forum: a profile of a post-apartheid social movement’ (Centre for Civil Society and School of Development Studies research report, Durban, 2004). Viewable at www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs
34. Dwyer, ‘The contentious politics of the Concerned Citizens Forum’.
35. Firoz Khan and Edgar Pieterse, ‘The Homeless People’s Alliance: purposive creation and ambiguated realities’ (Centre for Civil Society and School of Development Studies research report, Durban, 2004), Viewable at www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs
36. Anthony Egan and Alex Wafer, ‘The Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee’ (Centre for Civil Society and School of Development Studies research report, Durban, 2004). Viewable at www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs
37. Baruti Amisi and Richard Ballard, ‘In the absence of citizenship: Congolese refugee struggle and organisation in South Africa’ (Centre for Civil Society and School of Development Studies research report, Durban, 2004). Viewable at www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs
38. Shireen Hassim, ‘Voices, hierarchies and spaces: reconfiguring the women’s movement in Democratic South Africa’ (Centre for Civil Society and School of Development Studies research report, Durban, 2004). Viewable at www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs
39. Teresa Dirsuweit, ‘The problem of identities: the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex social movement in South Africa’ (Centre for Civil Society and School of Development Studies research report, Durban, 2004). Viewable at www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs
40. Salim Vally, ‘The iron fist and the velvet glove’, Mail and Guardian, 20 December 2003, p. 24.
41. cf. Ranajit Guha, ‘On some aspects of the historiography of colonial India’, in Vinayak Chaturvedi (ed.), Mapping Subaltern Studies and the Postcolonial (Verso, London and New York, 2000), pp. 1–7.
42. Pagad — a movement located mainly in the Western Cape formed initially as a response to the growth of gangs and related drug smuggling, but now increasingly perceived to be linked to a fundamentalist Islamic movement and the subject of state investigation.
43. Ashwin Desai, ‘The Cape of Good Dope? A post-apartheid story of gangs and vigilantes’ (Centre for Civil Society and School of Development Studies research report, Durban, 2004). Viewable at www.ukzn.ac.za/ccs
44. Della Porta and Diana, Social Movements, pp 1–2.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  L. Baccaro and K. Papadakis The downside of participatory-deliberative public administration Socioecon. Rev., April 1, 2009; 7(2): 245 - 276. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|