Global Discourse and Local Politics – the Political Economy of Urban
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Global Discourse and Local Politics – The Political Economy of Urban Regeneration in Woodstock, Cape Town Benedict Francis Higgins Dissertation presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at Stellenbosch University Supervisor: Dr Firoz Khan December 2019 Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Declaration By submitting this thesis electronically, I declare that the entirety of the work contained therein is my own original work, that I am the authorship owner thereof (unless to the extent explicitly otherwise stated) and that I have not previously in its entiretyr o in part submitted it for obtaining any qualification. Signature: B. Higgins Date: December 2019 Copyright © 2019 Stellenbosch University of Stellenbosch All rights reserved i Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Abstract It is averred that the postcolonial experience unfurls beyond the unitary structures and teleological frameworks of the Global North. Here, reality is entirely distinct; peculiar in function, particular in form. This ‘democratisation of theory’ has generated substantial insights on the urban experience as ephemeral, informal, and transient. It has redirected attention towards the networks and negotiations of the ‘everyday’, clarifying the much-needed common practices and mundane processes constituting the contemporary city. But this postcolonial epistemological turn, claim others, could potentially be ‘premature’ as cities continue to be profoundly shaped by a wider institutional context interwoven within and mediated through economic configurations of spatial development and geopolitical power. These critics insist on a substantive connectivity and relational geography embedded in political economy. Resultantly, there are calls to stem the tide of increasing disarticulation and fragmentation in critical urban theory and discover ways to move beyond dualistic interpretations of the city. This study explores the political economy of urban regeneration in Woodstock, Cape Town. The study is grounded in a reflexive epistemology that deflects the ontological dualism proliferating throughout contemporary urban theory. Here, the city is studied in a specificity yet, simultaneously, in a spatial and temporal relationality. Drawing on Foucault and Gramsci, the study excavates and analyses the archaeology of local discursivities and a genealogy of methods whereby, based on the descriptions of these local discursivities, contemporary urban regeneration in Woodstock has come to fruition. Revealed are hitherto overlooked contingencies related to the formation of a discourse to ‘save’ the city from urban decline. Whilst this discursive formation was temporally relevant and valuable, ANC-led Mayoral interventions steered the private sector towards culture. In Woodstock, this was combined with a second generation of self-identified ‘changemakers’ who became a vehicle for infusing the discourse with ideological commitments to the ‘global city’. An exceptional local institutional ii Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za context soon created a disproportionally powerful and particularly potent discourse. Over time, antagonisms and contradictions of this discourse were ‘smoothed over’ through image construction. These images took the form of intellectual and moralising narratives that manufactured consent, deploying discursive constructs such as ‘caring’ and ‘inclusive’. These constructs normalised the discourse and its inequitable outcomes as inevitable or ‘common sense’. Thus, the discourse appeared to be hegemonic in its workings. However, hegemonies are not always homogenous, and contestations both within and without afford space for alternatives. In eschewing a pessimism that characterises much critical theory, this study proposes discursive points of entry to affect sociospatial integration. iii Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Opsomming Daar word beweer dat die postkoloniale ervaring verby die unitêre strukture en teleologiese raamwerke van die Globale Noorde ontvou. Hier is die werklikheid heeltemal anders; besonders in funksie en spesifiek in vorm. Hierdie ‘demokratisering van teorie’ het belangrike insigte gegenereer in die stedelike ervaring as kortstondig, informeel en tydelik van aard. Dit het die aandag na die netwerke en hantering van die ‘alledaagse’ herlei en duidelikheid gebring oor die broodnodige algemene praktyke en doodgewone prosesse waaruit die kontemporêre stad bestaan. Dié postkoloniale epistemologiese inslag kan moontlik egter ‘prematuur’ wees, só beweer ander, aangesien stede grootliks steeds gevorm word deur ’n breër institusionele konteks wat onderling verweef is in en gemedieer word deur ekonomiese konfigurasies van ruimtelike ontwikkeling en geopolitieke mag. Hierdie kritici staan daarop dat ’n substantiewe konnektiwiteit en relasionele geografie in die politieke ekonomie ingebed is. Daar is gevolglik oproepe om die toenemende disartikulasie en fragmentasie in kritiese stedelike teorie te stuit en maniere te vind om weg te kom van dualistiese vertolkings van die stad. Hierdie studie verken die politieke ekonomie van stedelike vernuwing in Woodstock, Kaapstad. Die studie is gegrond in ’n refleksiewe epistemologie wat afwyk van die ontologiese dualisme wat kontemporêre stedelike teorie deurspek. Hier word die stad in ’n spesifiekheid, maar terselfdertyd tog in ’n ruimtelike en temporele relasionaliteit, bestudeer. Die studie delf rond in en ontleed die argeologie van plaaslike diskursiwiteite waardeur kontemporêre stedelike vernuwing in Woodstock – volgens die beskrywing van dié plaaslike diskursiwiteite – tot stand gekom het. Hiervoor steun die studie op Foucault en Gramsci. Gebeurlikhede wat tot dusver misgekyk is maar verband hou met die vorming van ’n diskoers om die stad van stedelike verval ‘te red’, word blootgelê. Terwyl hierdie diskursiewe vorming tydsgewys relevant en waardevol was, het ANC-geleide, burgemeesterlike ingrypings die private sektor in die rigting van kultuur gestuur. In Woodstock is dit gekombineer met ’n tweede generasie iv Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za van selfgeïdentifiseerde ‘veranderingmakers’ wat ’n voertuig geword het om die diskoers met ’n ideologiese verbintenis tot die ‘globale stad’ te besiel. ’n Buitengewone plaaslike institusionele konteks het gou ’n diskoers geskep wat buite verhouding invloedryk en besonder kragtig was. Enige antagonisme jeens, of weerspreking van, hierdie diskoers is met verloop van tyd deur ’n beeldbouproses ‘toegesmeer’. ’n Beeld na buite is voorgehou in die vorm van intellektuele en moraliserende narratiewe wat instemming gefabriseer het deur diskursiewe konstrukte soos ‘omgee’ en inklusief’ in te span. Dié konstrukte het die diskoers en die onregverdige uitkomste daarvan genormaliseer as onvermydelik of ‘gesonde verstand’. Dit het dus gelyk of die diskoers hegemonies funksioneer. ’n Hegemonie is egter nie altyd homogeen nie, en geskille daarbinne en daarbuite bied ruimte vir alternatiewe. Deur weg te bly van die pessimisme wat ’n groot klomp kritiese teorie kenmerk, doen hierdie studie diskursiewe toegangspunte aan die hand om sosiaal-ruimtelike integrasie te beïnvloed. v Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Acknowledgements This research was generously funded by the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. I would like to thank the Faculty for its steady support and untiring assistance. I would like to thank my supervisor, Firoz Khan, for the commitment; for the contribution; and for the intellectual and academic guidance that accompanied me on this journey. Most of all, I would like to thank my family, whose unwavering support I could not have gone without. vi Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Table of Contents Declaration ........................................................................................................................................ i Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ ii Opsomming ..................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... vii List of Abbreviations ...................................................................................................................... xi List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................................ 2 1.2 Macro Theoretical Relevance .................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Micro Empirical Relevance ....................................................................................................... 6 1.4 Relevance for Urban Regeneration ............................................................................................ 8 1.5 Assumptions and Limitations