Provincializing Urban Political Ecology: Towards a Situated UPE Through African Urbanism |
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| Authors: | Mary Lawhon Henrik Ernstson Jonathan Silver |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Geography, Geoinformatics, and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, , Pretoria, South Africa;2. African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town, , Cape Town, South Africa;3. Department of History, Stanford University, USA;4. Department of Geography, Durham University, , Durham, UK |
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| Abstract: | Urban political ecology (UPE) has provided critical insights into the sociomaterial construction of urban environments, their unequal distribution of resources, and contestation over power and resources. Most of this work is rooted in Marxist urban geographical theory, which provides a useful but limited analysis. Such works typically begin with a historical‐materialist theory of power, then examine particular artifacts and infrastructure to provide a critique of society. We argue that there are multiple ways of expanding this framing, including through political ecology or wider currents of Marxism. Here, we demonstrate one possibility: starting from theory and empirics in the South, specifically, African urbanism. We show how African urbanism can inform UPE and the associated research methods, theory and practice to create a more situated UPE. We begin suggesting what a situated UPE might entail: starting with everyday practices, examining diffuse forms of power, and opening the scope for radical incrementalism. © 2013 The Author. Antipode © 2013 Antipode Foundation Ltd. |
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| Keywords: | urban political ecology African urbanism everyday practice Southern theory urban theory |
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