African Women and Apartheid - Migration and Settlement in Urban South Africa

Sep 18, 2026

African Women and Apartheid: Migration and Settlement in Urban South Africa examines how migration shaped settlement patterns and everyday urban life in South Africa under apartheid. The contents outline research on Cape Town’s historical and political geography (1948–2000), household structure and strategy, renovation and rebuilding of ‘home’, energy resourcing and consumption, associational life and unions, and the formation of urban identities through ‘moving’ memories. It concludes with an analytical synthesis plus notes, bibliography, and index.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages297

Reading Time12 h 28 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Introduction: Location, Method, Meaning

1. Mapping Cape Town’s Historical and Political Geography, 1948–2000

2. Structure and Strategy in African Households

3. Home Improvement, Self Improvement: Renovations and the Reconstruction of ‘Home’

4. Hearth and Home: Energy Resourcing and Consumption in an Urban Environment

5. ‘Beloved’ Unions? Associational Life in Town

6. ‘Moving’ Memories: Urbanizing Identities

Conclusion

Appendix

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Abbreviations

REBEKAH LEE is Lecturer in the Department of History, Goldsmiths College, University of London. She has published on the social and cultural history of South Africa, and her research interests include gender and migration, religion, identity, health and material culture. She is currently engaged in a collaborative project on a history of death in Africa from c.1800 to the present day. INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF AFRICAN STUDIES 4. The Nigerian Military and the State Jimmy Peters 978 1 85043 874 8 5. Adjusting Society: The World Bank, the IMF and Ghana Lynne Brydon & Karen Legge 978 1 86064 000 1 6. The Horn of Africa: Politics and International Relations Peter Woodward 978 1 85043 741 3 7. State of Emergency: Nyasaland 1959 Colin Baker 978 1 86064 068 1 8. From Colonization to Democracy: A New Historical Geography ofSouth Africa – Alan Lester 978 1 86064 091 9 10. South Africa in Transition: The Misunderstood Miracle Adrian Guelke 978 1 86064 343 9 11. Security and the State in Southern Africa – Agostinho Zacarias 978 1 86064 328 6 12. Coming to Terms: Zimbabwe in the International Arena – Richard Schwartz 978 1 86064 647 8 13. Britain, Kenya and the Cold War: Imperial Defence, Colonial Security and Decolonisation – David Percox 978 1 85043 460 3 14. Apartheid South Africa and African States: From Pariah to Middle Power, 1961–1994 – Roger Pfister 978 1 85043 625 6 15. A History ofthe Left in South Africa: Writings ofBaruch Hirson Baruch Hirson 978 1 85043 454 2 16. An African Trading Empire: The Story ofSusman Brothers & Wulfsohn, 1901–2005 Hugh Macmillan 978 1 85043 853 3 17. The Place of Tears: The Novel and Politics in Modern Zimbabwe Ranka Primorac 978 1 84511 120 5 18. Mineworkers in Zambia: Labour and Political Change in Post-Colonial Africa Miles Larmer 978 1 84511 299 8 19. Reconstructing the Nation in Africa: The Politics of Nationalism in Ghana Michael Amoah 978 1 84511 259 2 20. Revolt and Protest: Student Politics and Activism in Sub-Saharan Africa Leo Zeilig 978 1 84511 476 3 21. The Other Way Around– Frank Verdon 978 1 86064 030 8 22. The Politics of Neoliberal Democracy in Africa: State and Civil Society in Nigeria Usman A. Tar 978 1 84511 656 9 23. Afrikaners in the New South Africa: Identity Politics in a Globalised Economy Rebecca Davies 978 1 84511 785 6 24. The Politics of Water in Africa: The European Union’s Role in Development Aid Partnership – Chris Rowan 978 1 84511 685 9 25. African Women and Apartheid: Migration and Settlement in Urban South Africa – Rebekah Lee 978 1 84511 819 8 26. Islam’s Perfect Stranger: The Life of Mahmud Muhammad Taha, Muslim Reformer of Sudan – Edward Thomas 978 1 84885 0 040 27. The Governance of Water and Sanitation in Africa: Achieving Sustainable Development Through Partnerships Tim Gray and Amy Stewart 978 1 84885 0 279 AFRICAN WOMEN AND APARTHEID Migration and Settlement in Urban South Africa REBEKAH LEE TAURIS ACADEMIC STUDIES an imprint of I.B.Tauris Publishers LONDON • NEW YORK Published in 2009 by Tauris Academic Studies, an imprint ofI.B.Tauris & Co Ltd 6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU 175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010 [www.ibtauris.com](www.ibtauris.com) Distributed in the United States and Canada Exclusively by Palgrave Macmillan, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010 Copyright © 2009 Rebekah Lee The right of Rebekah Lee to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. International Library of African Studies 25 ISBN 978 1 84511 819 8 A full

FAQs

What is the book’s main focus?

The book focuses on how migration relates to settlement and urban life in South Africa, framed within apartheid-era conditions.

Which city and time span are central to the analysis?

Cape Town’s historical and political geography is examined for the period 1948–2000.

What themes are covered in the later chapters?

The later chapters address home renovation and reconstruction, energy resourcing and consumption, associational life and unions, and urbanized identities formed through ‘moving’ memories.

Sep 18, 2026

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