This research identifies the negotiation of inherited understandings of the term ‘community’ as an increasingly widespread concern within the field of contemporary art since 1989, particularly in the wake of art’s communitarian turn during the 1990s. The thesis examines these artistic investigations in connection with the work of philosophers such as Maurice Blanchot, Roberto Esposito and Jean-Luc Nancy during the 1980s and 1990s, where we find the most thorough interrogation of the term ‘community’ since the nineteenth century. Contending that art has significantly contributed to a discourse long established in philosophy, the thesis reflects on what precipitated the widespread shift from an artistic interest in ‘this or that community’ to ‘community as such’ during the 1990s, and on what art has offered to the negotiation of community that philosophy has not. These dual concerns have been developed in the two sections that comprise the thesis, entitled ‘Untying the “Unique Epochal Knot”’ and ‘Collaboration, Participation, Performance and the Negotiation of Community’. An important issue the thesis broaches is whether art can (despite concerns about its co-optation within neoliberal institutions) constitute a potent site for the negotiation of community. The affirmative, if critical, answer given considers the unorthodox forms, logics and strategies that art is permitted to employ, art’s ability to enact material interventions into social relations and, overall, art’s operation as an alternative/complementary mode of articulation to that offered by philosophy. Through the analysis of pertinent case studies, the thesis examines how collaborative, participatory and performance practices have been particularly employed by artists including Tania Bruguera, Kristina Norman and Artur Żmijewski, seeking to scrutinise factors crucial to the rethinking of community. These factors include singularity, commonality, temporality and ethics. Springing from interviews, research trips to key case studies, and a thorough literature review, as well as implicating a range of work from diverse geographies and spread over the past two decades, the thesis situates the move towards the negotiation of community in art both historically and theoretically. In doing so, the analysis develops an important reconsideration of contemporary art’s widely noted attendance to the social. In privileging a conceptual framework for the discussion of this tendency in art, as opposed to the more prevalent formalist model, greater critical purchase may be gained on this urgent development in contemporary art history.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / The purpose of this study was to examine the level and extent of community participation in the Danga Ecological Sanitation Project carried out in the Zvishavane district of Zimbabwe. The people-centered approach was chosen as a theoretical background. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to gather relevant information. The results indicated that the community was not fully involved in the ecological sanitation project. As a result, the project had a poor performance record. In the course of this study, political interference in community projects carried out in Zimbabwean rural communities, resulting in the failure to reach the intended beneficiaries, was also noted. Full community participation in community projects may ensure that empowerment and ownership take place. Institutional arrangements, which in most cases impede development, need to be readdressed with clear demarcation of decision-making processes. / South Africa

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / The involvement of local communities in crime prevention programmes emerged as an alternative strategy for fighting and preventing crime after the failure of the criminal justice system to control and deter criminal activities effectively. Governments across the globe regard local communities as key actors in fighting and preventing crime. Community participation in crime prevention has become a key strategy to improve safety and security. The main aim of this study is to explore the extent to which residents of Khayelitsha contribute to the maintenance of security and order in their area; and to investigate the extent to which residents are empowered to solve crime problems on their own. The framework of this study is grounded on theories of crime namely: occupational choice, social learning, and social disorganisation; and concepts such as crime, crime prevention, and community participation. The literature review of this study focuses crime situation in South Africa with emphasis on crime trends, costs of crime, determinants of crime, and attempts made by the South African government to fight and prevent crime at national and local government levels. The study used key informant in-depth interviews with representatives of anti-crime community-based organisations in Site B and as well as ordinary residents of Site B. Data of this study is largely qualitative although it is supplemented with quantitative data relating to crime statistics which was collected as secondary data. In this study, both narratives and crime statistics reveal that robbery and theft-related crimes, drug abuse, and assaults are among the most predominant crimes. All informants perceived poverty and the use of drugs and alcohol as root causes of crime in Site B. The residents contribute in preventing and fighting crime in Site B by engaging in the following activities: patrolling streets as volunteers in Community Policing Forums (CPF); and providing crimerelated information to anti-crime organisations such as South African Police Service (SAPS), South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO), and Khayelitsha Development Forum (KDF). The residents also get involved in crime prevention informally by exercising informal social sanctions. However, challenges such as ineffectiveness of the law enforcement and lack of financial support hinder the residents’ participation in crime prevention.

The post-apartheid repetition and insertion of an unchanged standard clinic design across South Africa, has resulted in a number of urban and design problems stemming from the architecture of the clinics and their inability to adapt. Designed before the resurgence of the Tuberculosis epidemic, the facilities were not designed for optimal ventilation or air-borne infection prevention . The current healthcare facilities cannot support the ever-increasing urban population, and as a result, patients are forced to wait for long hours before being attended to, in poorly ventilated, unstimulating spaces. Emanating from an understanding of the relationship between architecture, health and the transmission of disease, the dissertation endeavours to create a new healthcare facility that remedies these problems through design. The dissertation identifies Alaska, an informal settlement, as an appropriate site in need of and with a population size to support a new public healthcare facility. Recognising the risks of blind top-down provision of buildings into informal settlements, the dissertation explores the power of a collaborative approach towards design. The design process engages the community in a series of participatory exercises in order to discover and enable grass-roots knowledge and innovation, and to instill a sense of ownership and responsibility for the intervention, after construction is complete. The dissertation studies the traditional healthcare practitioners within the settlement, for spatial clues and an alternate approach to the provision and architecture of healthcare. The Salutogenic (the healthy pole of the health- disease continuum) approach of the traditional healers is merged with the pathogenic design sensibilities of typical western facilities, in order to create a facility which not only focuses on curing disease, but also on instilling preventative habits within the community. The intervention intention to be reflective of and responsive to the dynamic context of Alaska, is realised through the spatial and design intelligences of a top-down provider enabling the innovation and local knowledge of bottom-up approaches through a collaborative design process. The intetnion is expressed through the inclusion and manipulation of local building materials and techniques. / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2014. / Architecture / MArch(Prof) / Unrestricted

A qualitative research approach was utilised with the goal to explore the views and interpretation of community members concerning the participation in the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) of the City of Johannesburg Municipality. The objectives were to conceptualise the legal and policy framework for the implementation of IDP's in South African municipalities (with reference to community/public participation); explore the nature and extent of community participation in the IDP processes (understanding of the IDP process and its meaning to the community); explore community participation in relation to decision-making in the process of IDP consultation, and make suggestions for advocacy on meaningful community participation to optimise the success of IDP in the City of Johannesburg Municipality. Using applied research made it possible for suggestions of meaningful community participation to optimise the success of IDP in the City of Johannesburg Municipality. A sample of 18 participants was drawn from Region E of which only 10 people participated, focusing on Alexandra as the population. The most suitable research design was a qualitative design with a collective case study. A focus group session was held with each of the two groups of participants. The focus group session with community representatives took place at the AlexSankopano multi-purpose main hall in Alexandra, whilst the session with the representatives of the City of Johannesburg municipality, took place at the boardroom of Region E offices in Sandton. Data collected were analysed using Creswell's data analysis spiral. The findings of the research showed that, although participation in the IDP of the Alexandra community which forms part of Region E of the City of Johannesburg Municipality was acknowledged, it was not meaningful and effective to the community and municipal officials. The above finding seems to suggest that the value of community participation for sustainable development in the community, as well as for nation building has not been realised. / Mini Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Social Work and Criminology / MA / Unrestricted

Background: This study explores an ICT for development project in previously ‘underserved’ community of Vrygrond in Cape Town South Africa. Developing countries have embraced technology as a means to improve the pace of development in their countries. Several projects have been setup that allow communities to access skills training programmes within their communities. However, there is a challenge when considering the sustainability of projects implemented to achieve their developmental goals Purpose: ICT for development initiatives are usually centrally planned without the involvement of the targeted communities. The targeted participants may be involved in the implementation phase only, and this may lead to sustainability failure. This study explores the how community participation affects sustainability of ICT for development projects in the context of South Africa. Research methodology: The methodology in this study is qualitative. Exploratory and descriptive research methods were used to analyse how community participation affects sustainability. This study used the Stakeholder Theory to explore community participation and project sustainability. Data was collected using semi structured interviews, documents, observations and applied thematic analysis. The Vrygrond Community Lab in Cape Town South Africa was used as a case study. Key Findings: Based on the analysed data, a number of key stakeholders were not involved in the project planning but were represented by the Vrygrond Community Trust. It was seen from the data that sustainability is dependent on closely working with existing community groups based within the community twenty-four seven. This research found positive relationship between participation and sustainability. Other findings indicated that there was an element of ‘tokenism’ and despite this the Vrygrond Community Lab seemed sustainable. This was attributed to the continued funding and operational support received from University of Cape Town and Pforzheim University. Finally, the study indicated that it was essential that socioeconomic and sociocultural issues are addressed quickly when they emerge. Value of the study: The study broadly contributes to the existing literature on community participation and sustainability of ICT4D initiatives in South Africa. Secondly study makes recommendations for donors and Universities looking to implement initiatives similar to the Vrygrond Community Lab in addressing socioeconomic challenges by equipping communities with computer skills that would assist them in their daily lives, either in finding work, studying, or running a business.

Doctor Educationis / Food security is a complicated phenomenon that consists of the intersections of food and people, and the cultures that people create around food. In general, food security research is concerned with how people access food, how reliable that access is, how affordable that food is, and how culturally appropriate that food is. This analysis tends to ignore the complex relationships people have with food and who these people are. Through the mapping of the Delft food system by remote sensing, surveys and interviews I create a food atlas that consists of maps of the spatiality of food but also maps of feelings, anxieties, fears and resilience, all centred around the people of Delft. The results and discussions of this thesis shows that food security is far more complicated than initially thought and that there are multiple avenues of inquiry into the lives of people who are considered food insecure. My research shows that the people of Delft are food insecure but that this label cannot be applied too liberally as food insecurity has different meanings for various residents and it manifests in various ways. I explore this through the creation of three women who represent three different classes of women who live within Delft.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Master's degree in Recreation and Tourism, in the Department of Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2010. / The study was conducted with the view of investigating community participation and benefits from tourism activities and facilities at the Umvoti Municipality. Though the uMvoti people could be perceived as not understanding tourism a human activity and its related benefits, most of them do not seem to participate in any tourism development activities taking place in the area. In an attempt to investigate the research problem, the following research objectives were formulated: (a) To investigate the degree to which the community understands the importance of the concept of tourism. (b) To ascertain the adequacy of the provision of tourism activities and facilities in the study area. (c) To identify the tourism participation patterns of the local community in terms of tourism activities and facilities found in the study area. (d) To reveal the perceived tourism benefits that the local community is expecting to enjoy in the study area, (e) To assess the perceived management strategies or practices, that are been used by the tourism authorities to promote tourism development in the uMvoti municipal area. The research methodology used in an attempt to execute the objectives of the research study involved a stratified sample size of 128 respondents, who were distributed in the uMvoti Local Municipality as follows : sample consisting of Tourism & Municipal officials [13], Tourists [18], tour operators [20] and local communityl"??]. Data was collected by means of questionnaires, which were analysed using the statistical package for the social sciences [SPSS] computer programme, available at the Department of Recreation and Tourism, University of Zululand. The findings of the study essentially revealed that there exists a positive perception towards tourism in the study area. The community has also displayed a variety of expectations since tourism has not achieved any remarkable development in the study area. The findings were that tourism facilities and activities in the study area were inadequately provided and unsatisfactory: there was also minimal to fair participation practice in tourism activities and facilities, mainly influenced by social and education variables. The tourism management practice in the study area were found to be ineffective and inadequate for encouraging community beneficiation. It was further discovered that, notwithstanding that the local community was aware of tourism activities and facilities in the study area, there were tangle and adequate benefits for the community, since they were for a long time excluded from enjoying the rewards of tourism. The community members tend to be sceptical, where there are no identifiable and observable improvements in their lifestyle. The research study finally came up with recommendations that were based on the outcomes of study. The study recommended that there must be heavy investment in skills training and education of the community in uMvoti area.

No description available.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology / MA / Unrestricted