Research Catalog
Amakomiti : Grassroots democracy in South African shack settlements
- Title
- Amakomiti : Grassroots democracy in South African shack settlements / Trevor Ngwane.
- Author
- Ngwane, Trevor
- Publication
- London : Pluto Press, 2021.
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| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schomburg Center to submit a request in person. | Text | Use in library | Sc D 21-621 | Schomburg Center - Research & Reference |
Details
- Description
- xvii, 209 pages ; illustrations; 23 cm.
- Summary
- Can people who live in shantytowns, shacks and favelas teach us anything about democracy? About how to govern society in a way that is inclusive, participatory and addresses popular needs? This book argues that they can. In a study conducted in dozens of South Africa's shack settlements, where more than 9 million people live, Trevor Ngwane finds thriving shack dwellers' committees that govern local life, are responsive to popular needs and provide a voice for the community. These committees, called 'amakomiti' in the Zulu language, organize the provision of basic services such as water, sanitation, public works and crime prevention especially during settlement establishment. Amakomiti argues that, contrary to common perception, slum dwellers are in fact an essential part of the urban population, whose political agency must be recognized and respected. In a world searching for democratic alternatives that serve the many and not the few, it is to the shantytowns, rather than the seats of political power, that we should turn.
- Series Statement
- Wildcat : workers' movements and global capitalism
- Uniform Title
- Wildcat (Pluto Press)
- Subjects
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Call Number
- Sc D 21-621
- ISBN
- 9780745341996
- 0745341993
- OCLC
- 1235761038
- Author
- Ngwane, Trevor, author.
- Title
- Amakomiti : Grassroots democracy in South African shack settlements / Trevor Ngwane.
- Publisher
- London : Pluto Press, 2021.
- Type of Content
- text
- Type of Medium
- unmediated
- Type of Carrier
- volume
- Series
- Wildcat : workers' movements and global capitalismWildcat (Pluto Press)
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Local Subject
- Black author.
- Research Call Number
- Sc D 21-621