Making demands on government: Theorizing determinants of backyard residents' collective action in Cape Town, South Africa

Harris, Adam S.; Scheba, Andreas; Rice, Louis

Abstract

Informality is growing with Africa's rapid urbanization. Much like residents of other types of informal housing, backyard dwellers face overall poor living conditions and political marginalization. However, backyard residents are in an ambiguous legal area and have been far less politically active and organized to pursue their rights to adequate housing. Using a qualitative case study of backyard residents in three Cape Town neighborhoods, Harris, Scheba, and Rice bridge theories of infrastructural citizenship and collective action to shed light on how informality may undermine collective action, and they identify four factors influencing collective action.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 23, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Mar 22, 2023
• Publication Date: Sep 30, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jan 29, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 30, 2024
• Journal: African Studies Review
• Print ISSN: 0002-0206
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 66
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 698 - 720
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/asr.2023.10
• Keywords: South Africa; backyard; collective action; informal housing; urban politics; infrastructural citizenship
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/11640978