Books

How central are the media to the functioning of democracy? Is democracy primarily about citizens using their vote? Does the expression of their voice necessarily empower citizens? Media and Citizenship challenges some assumptions about the relationship between the media and democracy in highly unequal societies like South Africa. In a post-apartheid society where an enfranchised majority is still unable to fundamentally practise their citizenship and experiences marginalisation on a daily basis, notions like listening and belonging may be more useful ways of thinking about the role of the media. In this context, protest is taken seriously as a form of political expression and the media’s role is foregrounded as actively seeking out the voices of those on the margins of society. Through a range of case studies, the contributors show how listening, both as a political concept and as a form of practice, has transformative and even radical potential for both emerging and established democracies.

Medicine and the Politics of Knowledge situates South Africa - including its history of stances and political formations around HIV/AIDSin the broader context of questions relating to science, medicine, human experimentation, and structural violence, all of which shape the cases in the book. Putting South Africa in the context of other cases of contention and contestation about science and medicine in India, Latin America and China helps us to understand the particular history of the South African case itself.

How does the decision to become a parent unfold for heterosexual men? Is becoming a father a 'decision' at all or a series of events? These questions are the starting point for this critical book, in which the authors unravel the social and interpersonal processes shaped by deeply entrenched socio-cultural norms that come to bear on parenthood decision-making in the South African context.

This short collection of presentations explores the little-known effect of HIV/AIDS on mental health in South Africa and internationally. Contributions came from a round table discussion in March 2003 that brought together academics, NGO workers and government officials from both developed and developing countries.

This report was prepared for the Integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP). It explores the demand for and access to financial services in three pilot sites in rural Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa. The study examines developments in micro-finance, best practices in a rural context and key policy issues.

Coping with immigration and urbanisation in a rapidly globalising environment is one of the policy issues facing many governments, yet the complexity of migration makes it difficult for planners to understand its causes and plan for its consequences.

Mobility has become a prominent feature in African societies: populations all over Africa are both mobile and politically and economically marginal. Yet these populations are actively engaged in maintaining social networks across localities. Mobilities, ICTs and marginality in Africa looks at the dramatic changes brought about in socially marginal populations by new ICTs in general and mobile phones in particular.

In any system of innovation, the constituency of participating individuals plays a large role in determining its strengths and weaknesses. A fundamentally mobile resource, individuals are influenced by a complex nexus of factors prompting their movements. This book is a review of the literature on the topic and is designed as a resource for anyone interested in analysing human mobility and the factors and policies through which it influences innovation.

Practical and user-friendly, this volume provides an evidence and rights-based approach to monitoring the well-being of children and adolescents in South Africa. Drawing on international precedents, and extensive peer review processes, experts in various fields have developed this holistic set of indicators to enhance the monitoring of the status of children.

In the last decade, South Africa has made significant progress in reducing child and maternal mortality rates. Although progress has been made in improving levels of maternal and child morbidity and mortality, it is important to indicate that data used are based on varied sources and systems that sometimes yield conflicting data.