Poverty Knowledge in South Africa

A Social History of Human Science, 1855–2005

Nonfiction, History, Africa, Science & Nature, Science
Cover of the book Poverty Knowledge in South Africa by Grace Davie, Cambridge University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Grace Davie ISBN: 9781316188521
Publisher: Cambridge University Press Publication: February 5, 2015
Imprint: Cambridge University Press Language: English
Author: Grace Davie
ISBN: 9781316188521
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Publication: February 5, 2015
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Language: English

Poverty is South Africa's greatest challenge. But what is 'poverty'? How can it be measured? And how can it be reduced if not eliminated? In South Africa, human science knowledge about the cost of living grew out of colonialism, industrialization, apartheid and civil resistance campaigns, which makes this knowledge far from neutral or apolitical. South Africans have used the Poverty Datum Line (PDL), Gini coefficients and other poverty thresholds to petition the state, to chip away at the pillars of white supremacy, and, more recently, to criticize the postapartheid government's failures to deliver on some of its promises. Rather than promoting one particular policy solution, this book argues that poverty knowledge teaches us about the dynamics of historical change, the power of racism in white settler societies, and the role of grassroots protest movements in shaping state policies and scientific categories. Readers will gain new perspectives on today's debates about social welfare, redistribution and human rights, and will ultimately find reasons to rethink conventional approaches to advocacy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Poverty is South Africa's greatest challenge. But what is 'poverty'? How can it be measured? And how can it be reduced if not eliminated? In South Africa, human science knowledge about the cost of living grew out of colonialism, industrialization, apartheid and civil resistance campaigns, which makes this knowledge far from neutral or apolitical. South Africans have used the Poverty Datum Line (PDL), Gini coefficients and other poverty thresholds to petition the state, to chip away at the pillars of white supremacy, and, more recently, to criticize the postapartheid government's failures to deliver on some of its promises. Rather than promoting one particular policy solution, this book argues that poverty knowledge teaches us about the dynamics of historical change, the power of racism in white settler societies, and the role of grassroots protest movements in shaping state policies and scientific categories. Readers will gain new perspectives on today's debates about social welfare, redistribution and human rights, and will ultimately find reasons to rethink conventional approaches to advocacy.

More books from Cambridge University Press

Cover of the book The Democratic Horizon by Grace Davie
Cover of the book The Politics of Representation in the Global Age by Grace Davie
Cover of the book Hegel: Elements of the Philosophy of Right by Grace Davie
Cover of the book Language and the Law by Grace Davie
Cover of the book International Human Rights Law and Practice by Grace Davie
Cover of the book Discerning the Spirits by Grace Davie
Cover of the book Byzantium and the Early Islamic Conquests by Grace Davie
Cover of the book Populism in Southeast Asia by Grace Davie
Cover of the book Debating the Woman Question in the French Third Republic, 1870–1920 by Grace Davie
Cover of the book Pluto by Grace Davie
Cover of the book The Cambridge Companion to Seneca by Grace Davie
Cover of the book Pozières by Grace Davie
Cover of the book The Political Economy of Financial Regulation by Grace Davie
Cover of the book Managing and Working in Project Society by Grace Davie
Cover of the book Non-Legality in International Law by Grace Davie
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy