The Agonistic City?: State-society Strife in Johannesburg (Politics and Society in Urban Africa)

An exploration of Johannesburg’s post-apartheid's city administration's governance of conflict from 1996 to the current day, in the case of service delivery protests and shifts in city policy. The author, Li Pernegger, focuses in-depth on the water wars in Orange Farm, insurgent informal traders in the inner city, and the billing battle fought by the middle class. This book provides deep insights into facets of protests: from the local state's qualification of the conflicts; its portrayals of protestors; its agonistic and antagonistic responses to protestors' claims; to power dynamics and the forms of agreement reached. Pernegger considers what the practical prospects of agonism might be for the local government to regard city strife in its practices of governance as a constructive – rather than destructive – force for change, and the realisation of democratic ideals for its ordinary citizens. An exploration of Johannesburg's post-apartheid's city administration's governance of conflict from 1996 to the current day, in the case of service delivery protests and shifts in city policy. The author, Li Pernegger, focuses in-depth on the water wars in Orange Farm, insurgent informal traders in the inner city, and the billing battle fought by the middle class.?This book provides deep insights into facets of protests: from the local state's qualification of the conflicts; its portrayals of protestors; its agonistic and antagonistic responses to protestors' claims; to power dynamics and the forms of agreement reached. Pernegger considers what the practical prospects of agonism might be for the local government to regard city strife in its practices of governance as a constructive - rather than destructive - force for change, and the realisation of democratic ideals for its ordinary citizens." From publisher's website The Agonistic City? is an exploration of post-apartheid Johannesburg's city administration's governance of conflict from 1996 to the present day, as it relates to service delivery protests and shifts in ciry policy. The author, Li Pernegger, focuses in-depth on the water wars in Orange Farm, insurgent informal traders in the inner city, and the billing battle fought by the middle class. The book provides a profound understanding of the facets of these protests: from the local state's qualification of the conflicts, its portrayals of protestors, its agonistic and antagonistic responses to protestors' claims, to the power dynamics involved, and the forms of agreement reached--back cover Front Cover -- Half Title -- About the author -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of maps -- List of abbreviations -- Acknowledgements -- 1: Strife and the state -- Urban uprising -- Agonism in democratic conflict management -- Johannesburg -- A brief outline -- 2: Agonism in public practice -- Why agonism? -- Innovations of agonism -- Limitations of agonism -- Applying agonism to practices of governance -- Conflict management in South Africa -- 3: Johannesburg's conflict and governance timeline -- Linking strife and Johannesburg's organisational development An Exploration Of The Realities And Potential Of The State's Agonistic Practices In Response To Service Delivery Strife From 1996 To The Current Day In Johannesburg.