Unfrozen Ground: South Africa's Contested Spaces

Since the end of apartheid rule in South Africa, much has been written on the nation's reconstruction in theoretical terms, while individual case studies have been examined to see how they reflect the transformation process. This book makes the link between the two types of analysis, firstly examining the national strategies of reconstruction and then looking at how they are implemented and contested locally. Various case studies explore issues of land reform and attempts by the new government to collapse racial barriers in space by re-mapping cities and towns. Such state-driven programmes provoke mixed reactions from the communities, often resulting in dispute. Focusing on spatial restructuring of rural areas, the book highlights the challenges of integrating "traditional" and modern power structures. It simultaneously captures the dynamics of socio-political change at national and local levels and provides an analysis of the challenges of integration to one of the world's most divided societies.