(Re)constructing rural-urban spaces: gendered livelihoods, migration, and natural resources in South Africa

Critical approaches to development theory and practice provide alternative perspectives that focus on counterhegemonic and discursive dimensions of the development process. Feminist development is one such approach that opens up new spaces and opportunities to promote socially progressive and sustai...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:GeoJournal 2016-06, Vol.81 (3), p.489-502
Main Author: Oberhauser, Ann M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural production
Apartheid
Demographics
Demography
Economic analysis
Economic development
Economics
Empowerment
Environmental Management
Feminism
Gender
Gender roles
Geography
Households
Human Geography
Infrastructure
Land resources
Limpopo South Africa
Manual workers
Migration
Natural resources
Neoliberalism
Power
Rural areas
Rural development
Social Sciences
South Africa
Studies
Sustainable economic development
Trends
Urban areas
Urban space
Women
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Summary:Critical approaches to development theory and practice provide alternative perspectives that focus on counterhegemonic and discursive dimensions of the development process. Feminist development is one such approach that opens up new spaces and opportunities to promote socially progressive and sustainable economic strategies. This paper uses feminist development geography as a framework to highlight the intersection of diverse spaces and economic strategies at the household and community levels. The analysis focuses on gendered livelihoods that are linked to circular migration and use of natural resources as a way to understand the integration of rural and urban spaces of development. The empirical section of this paper examines demographic patterns and socio-economic trends in Limpopo Province, South Africa as a context for the case study of two community-based women's producer groups. These examples illustrate how economic strategies and social identities are embedded in and integrate both rural and urban spaces. This analysis contributes to feminist and post-structural development theory and practice by highlighting the potential for progressive forms of economic and social empowerment.
ISSN:0343-2521
1572-9893
DOI:10.1007/s10708-015-9635-5