Social movements, media practices and radical democracy in South Africa
SOURCE: Holding their ground: secure land tenure for the urban poor in developing countries
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2015
TITLE AUTHOR(S): S.Chiumbu
KEYWORDS: DEMOCRACY, SOCIAL INCLUSION, SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, WESTERN CAPE ANTI-EVICTION CAMPAIGN, WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 8774
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/1834
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/1834
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2015
TITLE AUTHOR(S): S.Chiumbu
KEYWORDS: DEMOCRACY, SOCIAL INCLUSION, SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, WESTERN CAPE ANTI-EVICTION CAMPAIGN, WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 8774
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/1834
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/1834
If you would like to obtain a copy of this Research Output, please contact Hanlie Baudin at researchoutputs@hsrc.ac.za.
Abstract
Social movements in South Africa, as elsewhere, are combining traditional mobilisation methods with use of new media technologies to mobilize, create networks and lobby for social justice. While there exists some research that analyses how these social movements are using new media technologies, less sustained analysis has been made of the discursive struggles that confront these movements in their mobilisation strategies. This paper examines discursive practices of one such movement, the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign, a community-driven social movement formed in 2000 to respond to housing crisis in urban Western Cape and lack of service delivery in the areas of water and electricity. Through the lens of radical democracy and critical participation theories, the paper argues that while the material on the websites, social media platforms and print media project counter-hegemonic ideologies, the discursive and institutional practices of the social movements do not manifest radical democratic principles and genuine participation. These discursive struggles and tensions highlight the importance of recognising power dynamics within media practices of social movements in the country. The paper ends by outlining for discursive opportunities and possibilities of subversion by social movements in South Africa.-
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