Raw Life, New Hope: Decency, Housing and Everyday Life in a Post-apartheid Community

by Fiona C. Ross

The Cape Flats, that windswept, treeless, barren, sandy area between two oceans at Africa's southern tip, is home to more than a million people, approximately one quarter of Cape Town's population. This ethnography includes studies of the lives, aspirations and coping strategies of people in impoverished circumstances in South Africa.

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful read and insight into an oppressed group in a post apartheid context. I love that Ross explored concepts of socio-economic inequality, gender, how we preserve ourselves in different spaces and ways of acting decent enough to belong in certain spaces. It felt raw and relatable growing up as a coloured woman in South Africa. A good read but definitely not an easy read to relax to in the evenings

[Burk · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent insight into the culture of the South African townships. A needed perspective, but, oh, so sad.