A Short Course in Politics at the University of Abahlali baseMjondolo

Abstract

Shackdweller communities are among the most impoverished and exploited on the planet. With nearly 1 billion people living in them, one might consider them to be hotbeds of radicalism. Yet, in fact, very few settlements have become disobedient. Using the work of S'bu Zikode of the Abahlali baseMjondolo Shackdwellers Movement (South Africa) and the work of Alain Badiou, I show how politics is lived in Durban's shacks, and show how Badiou's thoughts supplement a series of uniquely African instances of politics.