Participation Paradox : Between Bottom-up and Top-down Development in South Africa

Sinwell, Luke

ISBN 10: 0228014611 / ISBN 13: 9780228014614

Editore: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2023

Unread book in perfect condition. Codice articolo 45616891

Riassunto:

The last two decades have ushered in what has become known as a participatory revolution, with consultants, advisors, and non-profits called into communities, classrooms, and corporations alike to listen to ordinary people. With exclusively bureaucratic approaches no longer en vogue, authorities now opt for “open” forums for engagement. In The Participation Paradox Luke Sinwell argues that amplifying the voices of the poor and dispossessed is often a quick fix incapable of delivering concrete and lasting change. The ideology of public consultation and grassroots democracy can be a smokescreen for a cost-effective means by which to implement top-down decisions. As participation has become mainstreamed by governments around the world, so have its radical roots become tamed by neoliberal forces that reinforce existing relationships of power. Drawing from oral testimonies and ethnographic research, Sinwell presents a case study of one of the poorest and most defiant Black informal settlements in Johannesburg, South Africa – Thembelihle, which consists of more than twenty thousand residents – highlighting the promises and pitfalls of participatory approaches to development.Providing a critical lens for understanding grassroots democracy, The Participation Paradox foregrounds alternatives capable of reclaiming participation’s emancipatory potential.

Informazioni sull'autore:

Luke Sinwell is associate professor at the University of Johannesburg.

Dati bibliografici

Titolo: Participation Paradox : Between Bottom-up ...
Casa editrice: McGill-Queen's University Press
Data di pubblicazione: 2023
Legatura: Rilegato
Condizione: As New