Popular Politics in South African Cities: Unpacking Community Participation

Community meetings seldom lead to significant change in urban policies, and have been accused of being sterile, sedative, or manipulative. This book starts from a simple question: why do people then continue to participate in these meetings, sometimes massively, and on a regular basis? Authors from a variety of disciplines explore the multiple roles of these ‘invited’ spaces of participation. This book, unpacking community politics and rethinking the complex articulations between ‘invited’ and 'invented’ spaces of participation, is of relevance for international and national audiences interested in urban governance and local democracy.