Subjectivity, Politics and Neoliberalism in Post-apartheid Cape Town

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between subjectivity and resistance to neoliberalism in three townships where the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign is active in Cape Town, South Africa, namely Driftsands, Tafelsig and Vrygrond. It is based on participatory research conducted with members of this social movement resident in these townships through administration of a house-to-house questionnaire, in-depth interviews and workshops held with participants. Based on this research, it argues that social movement members' subjectivies are complex and shaped by the townships' different histories, the different interpretations of ‘community’ in each township and the affective relationships and exchanges between residents evident in all three townships. The authors contend that the subjectivites of the township residents interviewed in turn influence the politics of their resistance to evictions and service cut-offs for non-payment. It concludes by arguing that the subjectivites of members of the social movement in each community are complex, and that, therefore, these subjectivities have a complicated relationship with resistance to neoliberalism.