Topics Southern Africa
Mobilising Social Justice in South Africa - perspectives from Researchers and Practitioners
How do civic actors in South Africa deal with contemporary developmental challenges such as socio-economic inequality, limited access to basic services, xenofobic tensions and governance constraints. At a time of rising social tensions, the country’s institutions are in danger of losing the legitimacy they gained in the wake of democratic dispensations of the 1990s.Book Release: Mobilising Social Justice: Perspectives from Researchers and Practitioners
South Africa grapples with serious social and economic inequalities, including inequality in access to basic services. At a time of rising social tensions, the country’s institutions are in danger of losing the legitimacy they gained in the wake of democratic dispensations of the 1990s.
Book Release: Mobilising Social Justice: Perspectives from Researchers and Practitioners
South Africa grapples with serious social and economic inequalities, including inequality in access to basic services. At a time of rising social tensions, the country’s institutions are in danger of losing the legitimacy they gained in the wake of democratic dispensations of the 1990s.
Contesting the Role of Social Movements in Post-Apartheid South Africa: The Treatment Action Campaign
This article contests the role of social actors within a democratic context by looking at post-apartheid social movements in general and the case study of the Treatment Action Campaign in particular. By illustrating the structure, activities, goals and accomplishments of the Treatment Action Campaign up until the end of 2006, this work will argue that it represents an innovation in social movements in South Africa via its unique strategies and networks that have transformed the issue of HIV/A...
Problematizing Civil Society in South Africa and beyond
South Africa’s soccer fever has subsided, but recent sparks of violent protest and public sector strikes indicate that for the foreseeable future, social tensions are here to stay. Fueled by perverse social-economic inequalities and fragile public institutions, outbursts of public anger will continue to send out warning signals to the wider world that stability and democracy in South Africa cannot be taken for granted. This post brings together the findings of four recent studies on civil soc...
Contemplating civil society
On 29 and 30 July, a delegation of the knowledge team from HIVOS and ISS visited South Africa. The purpose of the visit was to attend a stocktaking workshop of the ongoing research projects in the region and to prepare for a civil society conference, scheduled for November this year. The visit took place amidst a wave of strikes and (violent) protest in several townships of Johannesburg and Cape town, allegedly caused by public dissatisfaction about public service delivery and stalling wage...
ISS-HIVOS MA research programme 2009
Each year, the Civil Society Building Knowledge Programme supports a number of ISS students to conduct research on issues pertaining to the main questions of the programme. This year, five ISS students were awarded a research grant. Last week, after extensive preparation at ISS and consultation with HIVOS staff and partners, they departed for countries ranging from Uganda to Nicaragua to do their field research. You can find summaries of the research project here.Researchers on the move
Each year, the Civil Society Building Knowledge Programme supports a number of ISS students to conduct research on issues pertaining to the main questions of the programme. This year, five ISS students were awarded a research grant. Last week, after extensive preparation at ISS and consultation with HIVOS staff and partners, they departed for countries ranging from Uganda to Nicaragua to do their field research. You can find summaries of the research projects here. During the next few months,...Protecting Indigenous Knowledge in South Africa
In the study 'Protecting Indigenous Knowledge in South Africa', Lidewyde Berckmoes explores the possible role of Intellectual Property Rights in realising an environment conducive for the creation, sharing and use of Indigenous Knowledge for development. The study focussed on different stakeholder positions in the heated but immobile IK and IPR debate. In this study, a solution for the impasse is sought by lookingat IK and IPR through the lens of innovation systems. The study was carried out...