Township Economy: People, Spaces, and Practices

Township Economy provides unique insight into the nature of informal businesses and entrepreneurship in the townships of gpostapartheid South Africa and Namibia. The authors draw on evidence collected across nearly a decade, beginning in 2010, to focus on microenterprises, the business strategies of township entrepreneurs, and the impact of autonomous informal economic activities on urban life. Notably, they examine the influence of power as a tool to dominate and control―and thus to constrain inclusive opportunities.
CONTENTS:
* Introduction.
* Researching Objects, Spaces, Persons, and Practices.
* Entrepreneurs and Survivalists.
* The Right to Use Land.
* Spatial Ordering.
* The High Street and Business Pioneers.
* Transport: Efficient but Violent.
* Winners and Losers in the Grocery Territorial Battle.
* Drinking Venues and the Leisure Economy.
* The Culture and Convenience of Foodservice.
* Services as Social Infrastructure.
* Sustaining Business and Coping with Risk.
* Conclusions: Protect, Contain, and Disrupt.