Raw Life, New Hope: Decency, Housing and Everyday Life in a Post-apartheid CommunityThe Cape Flats, a windswept, barren and sandy area which rings Cape Town, is home to more than a million people. Many live here in sprawling shack settlements. The post-apartheid state is attempting to eradicate such settlements by providing formal houses in planned residential estates. Raw Life, New Hope is a longitudinal study of the residents of one such shack settlement, The Park, who moved to new, 'formal' houses in The Village, at the turn of the millennium. It introduces readers to core social science topics and modes of theorising. Over 17 years the author has traced how ordinary people attempt to live in accord with their ideals of decency under almost impossible circumstances, and the effects of material changes in their lives after 1994, including the provision of housing. Photos, maps, anecdotes, recipes and philosophical reflections on subjects that arose during conversations elicit a sense of the everyday and of how people try to solve the problems of poverty |
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activities Africa alcohol apartheid appearance asked associated attempts Baby become body called Cape cared cause Chapter child commented complex considered context conversation create cultural death described developers domestic domestic workers effects efforts example experience fact farm formal forms frequently friends gender give household ideals income individual kind knowledge labour lack language living look material means mother move neighbours notes offered one's ordentlikheid Park particularly people's person poor possibilities poverty present question relations relationships residents respect responsibility reveal secure sense settlement shack shared social someone sometimes South Africa space speak speech stories structures talk tell things told Town understand usually Village violence woman women workers young