Book Review of "On the Own: Women, Urbanization and the Right to the City in South Africa"

What is it about?

This is a review of a book by Allison Goebel. Goebel's book explores the experiences of women in South African cities. Her focus is on women living in the Msunduzi Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, where she conducted years of fieldwork. The book provides us with a richly detailed picture of the lives of these women and relates their experiences to bigger debates about urbanization and about the right to the city - in other words, about whether and how these women are able to access services in the city and to assert their right to belong and flourish in urban spaces.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

The book is important because it sheds light on the lives of women who are rarely the subject of academic discussion. My review helps introduce and publicize the book.

Perspectives