Reworking citizenship : race, gender, and kinship in South Africa /

Reworking Citizenship examines the establishment of the Republic of South Africa in 1994 and the meaning of citizenship for impoverished women living in the Point, an inner-city neighborhood in Durban. G'sell (Univ. of Iowa) interviewed women regarding their views of becoming free citizens despite their continued need to acquire support from many local people and government agencies. This relational citizenship, referred to as "kinshipping," reflects the idea of kinship used by women living in the Point without kin. Following an introduction, chapter 1 examines kinshipping practices in the Point, while chapter 2 discusses interviews with impoverished women of color who explain their views of motherhood and why South African citizenship has disappointed them. Chapter 3 is based on 1960s case files of three women (one coloured, one white, and one Black) with children. Whether they were allowed to keep their children with them reflected ideas about motherhood, race, and class by the Court, documented in case file materials written by social workers. Chapters 3--6 discuss the contemporary ways that mothers access support from various sources. This excellent book will encourage readers to similarly think about the social and political situations in their own societies. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, advanced undergraduates through faculty, and professionals. --Elisha P. Renne, emerita, University of Michigan