For What Does the Urban Elite Protest? Reflections from South Africa

In this presentation I explore the ways in which the South African urban elite claim their space in the city. It is based on a decade of ethnographic fieldwork in the city of Johannesburg, known for its start inequality and lack of public and shared spaces in the city. Starting from the notion of the “violence of the rich” (Pincons), I present strategies and ideas that underpin elite`s presence and influence in the city. In so doing, I think of urban elites not only as lobbying for maintaining their status quo, but also for generating a rubric for claiming, occupying and shaping urban spaces, while retreating into their safe and fortified dwellings. Thinking of elites from Johannesburg, a city where most services are privatized especially for the elite and the middle class, also allows to unpack the nuance of elite and how they position themselves in society vis a vis the broader polity.