Community-based environmentalism in transitional South Africa: social movements and the development of local democracy
Date
2017-01-30
Authors
Buchler, Michelle
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Abstract
This report explores co llect+ve ect+on around opposition to a
propo..;ed hazardous waste 1andf t 11. Of concern ;s the role that
social movement organisations and social movement activists,
organising around environmental issues, can play in entrenching a
participatory, non-racial democracy in South Africa's present
transitional political phase. The analysis makes use of theories of
social movements which argue that collective action is rooted in
previous cycles of mobilisation, and that the role of social
movement entreprenbJrS or activists is crucial in coll,ctive action
mob'l Hsat ton. Data was collected through the use of participant
observation and semi-structured interviews, Various documentary
sources were also used.
This report argues that mobilisation around environmental issues can
best be understood by locating such mobilisation in the heritage of
previous cycles of mobilisation, most notably in the period of the
19805. Furthermore, this report highlights the fact that the
structure and form of ~he transitional state at national, regional
and local levels presents certain constraints with regard to the
extension and entrenchment of participatory democracy, Finally, it
will be argued that while the Chloorkop Coalition demonstrates the
pctent ial that environmental issues have for uniting communities
across traditional racial and ideological barriers, it ;s not clear
whether a lasting cross~racial cooperation can be achieved.
Description
A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts at the University of
the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment for the
degree of Master of Arts.
Johannesburg 1995.
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Citation
Buchler, Michelle (1995) Community-based environmentalism in transitional South Africa: social movements and the development of local democracy, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, <http://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/handle/10539/21778>