The decline of the Anti-Privatisation Forum in the midst of South Africa’s ‘rebellion of the poor

Analysing the processes of social movement abeyance is a much under-studied and under-theorised area of social movement studies. This article examines the collapse of the once vibrant Anti-Privatisation Forum (APF) in South Africa in order to broaden the empirical and conceptual base through which d...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current sociology 2015-11, Vol.63 (7), p.961-979
Main Author: Runciman, Carin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Collective action
Demonstrations & protests
Group identity
Identity
Low income groups
Privatization
Rebellions
Social activism
Social movements
South Africa
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Analysing the processes of social movement abeyance is a much under-studied and under-theorised area of social movement studies. This article examines the collapse of the once vibrant Anti-Privatisation Forum (APF) in South Africa in order to broaden the empirical and conceptual base through which demobilisation is studied. The case of the APF presents a particular puzzle to the analysis of demobilisation as the organisation collapsed in a period of heightened protest which some analysts have described as amounting to a ‘rebellion of the poor’. The question therefore is: how did the APF collapse in a period of widespread collective action and protest? The article provides an answer which critically integrates theoretical insights of political opportunity, collective identity and resource mobilisation.
ISSN:0011-3921
1461-7064
DOI:10.1177/0011392115574784