Power in action: Democracy, citizenship and social justice by Steven Friedman
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Date
2019
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Abstract
Steven Friedman has long been one of South Africa’s premier public intellectuals, making invaluable
and thoughtful contributions on the political issues of the day. In Power in Action, he zooms out from
everyday issues to reflect on politics and democracy more generally, but it’s a view deeply informed
by quotidian struggles and also by the South African experience. At its heart, Friedman’s argument is
that contention and agency are what bring political change, and that making democracy real means
that the poor and marginalised must confront the state in an organised way and on an ongoing basis.
Only by challenging government every day through collective action will ordinary citizens claim the
power to influence decisions that affect their daily lives – which for Friedman is the fundamental
meaning of democracy.
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Keywords
Democracy, Citizenship, Social justice, Politics, Power in action
Citation
Piper, L. (2019).Power in action: Democracy, citizenship and social justice by Steven Friedman. Transformation Critical Perspectives on Southern Africa ,101(1),155-161