Paper short abstract:

In South Africa, political liberation has been followed by an unprecedented expansion of redistributive arrangements.This paper reveals why redistribution has become central to the experience of political liberation, bringing about its own ontology of mutual obligations and wealth.

Paper long abstract:

In South Africa, political liberation has been followed by an unprecedented expansion of large-scale redistributive arrangements. Despite democratisation in 1994, the market remains out of reach for the poor and uneducated as jobs remain scarce and entrepreneurs rarely succeed. Political liberation has resulted in a shift towards redistributive arrangements. The study of large-scale redistribution opens up a whole new panorama on the acquisition and control of wealth, mutual dependencies, and reciprocal obligations. Based on extensive research, mostly in two African townships in Cape Town, this paper reveals why so many South Africans put their faith in redistribution. Redistribution has become central to the experience of political liberation, bringing about its own ontology with respect to mutual obligations and expectations of wealth. This study reveals that redistribution, which is part of the market but also more than the market, implies new forms of sociality and the reconfiguration of violence.