Paper short abstract:

This paper stems from a scoping study that was conducted in Cape Town, South Africa on how rats are managed in different parts of the city, how rats are perceived and what effects rats have on human health.

Paper long abstract:

Humans and rats have lived alongside one another for many years and will most likely continue to in the future. When it comes to understanding the dynamics of human and rat relations in Global South urban spaces, very little is known about the intimate ways humans negotiate everyday living alongside rats - whether it be in the sense of health, managing rat infestations or how rats are perceived. This paper stems from a scoping study that was conducted throughout different areas in Cape Town, South Africa which focused on understanding the extent of rat infestations in different parts of the city, how rat infestations are managed by both the private and public sector, how rats are socially and culturally perceived among various communities and lastly what effects rats have on human health. Taking Cape Town's colonial and apartheid history into account, this paper draws links between the past and present when it comes to rat infestations and its links to social injustices. The politics around rat infestation management in the city is discussed alongside the social, economic and environmental elements at play to shine light on the political ecology. Focusing on the entanglements of social and cultural life that humans have with rats in Cape Town, the paper then explores how these entanglements shape what happens to the rat. Effectively, the paper lays out a path for future research that is needed in Cape Town to inform understandings around the complex everyday life that humans and rats share.