Fiona Anciano
Biographic Data
| ID | 241381 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Fiona Anciano |
| GIVEN NAMES | Fiona |
| FAMILY NAME | Anciano |
| SIGNATURE | ANCIANO F |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of the Western Cape |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8613-1452 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 24 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 16 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
The moral economy of sanitation provision in informal settlements in Cape Town and Nairobi
This article compares how Cape Town and Nairobi approach sanitation provision in informal settlements, where residents experience vastly different levels of access to safely managed services. The City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality provides free sewered and container-based sanitation, while Nairobi City County offers limited infrastructure, leaving most residents reliant on private providers. Using a moral economy framework, the study exa…
Climate Justice or Climate Apartheid? The justice trade-offs of private solar investments for South Africa's just transition
Realities of using self-administered smartphone surveys to solve sustainability challenges
To fill data gaps in human-environment systems, especially in difficult-to-access locations, novel tools are needed to collect (near) real-time data from diverse populations across the globe. Here we discuss the practicalities, constraints, and lessons learnt from six field studies using high spatial and temporal smartphone surveys in six different countries. We suggest that high spatiotemporal, self-administered smartphone surveys will produce n…
Substituting for the State
In South Africa, citizens in both low‐ and high‐income areas are increasingly providing their own services to mitigate the unreliability, unaffordability and inaccessibility of state services. This article examines diverse case studies across socio‐economic and residential typologies to explore shifts in service provision responsibilities from the state to the citizen. Applying an interdisciplinary approach, this article considers the political i…
Hybridising governance for resilience in a time of crisis
Through the lens of food security this paper explores how community-based organisations (CBOs) in low-income neighbourhoods in Cape Town (South Africa) and Cali (Colombia) responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. In understanding how they engaged with and operationalised governance in times of crisis, we are able to critically engage with hybrid governance practices in these contexts and explore their potential to support equitable resilience. The fin…
Trust is personal and professional
This article explores trust dynamics among a coalition of civil society organizations called Unite Behind that formed in Cape Town, South Africa, in late 2017. Unite Behind was established to demand more accountability from a state marred by corruption—and specifically for the resignation of then President Jacob Zuma. When Zuma resigned, the coalition attempted to transition to a social movement campaigning for social justice but declined as a co…
On a journey to citywide inclusive sanitation (CWIS)? A political economy analysis of container-based sanitation (CBS) in the fragmented (in)formal city
Rapidly growing cities face the chronic challenge of access to safe, dignified and accessible sanitation, in contexts of inequality and informality. Technological and operational innovations, such as container-based sanitation (CBS), are promoted as relatively low-cost market-based circular economy off-grid solutions to deliver citywide inclusive sanitation (CWIS). However, in the absence of evidence that CBS is delivering on these promises, this…
Localising governance in the African city
The paper articulates a model of urban governance, developed through emergent analysis of the rulers, methods, rules and logics evident in the practices of security governance in Hout Bay, Cape Town. Informed by the concept of hybrid governance, this grounded theorising draws on extensive fieldwork on security governance practices in a complex urban neighbourhood to present a model of multiple and sometimes contending forms of governance that inc…
Political Values and Narratives of Resistance
Defiant citizenship
This article examines the rise of ‘defiant citizenship’ in Hangberg, a historic fishing village set on the lower slopes of the Sentinel Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. Defiant citizenship affirms membership of the state, but on terms that assert the primacy of residents’ right of belonging in, and sovereignty over, the place of Hangberg, even against the will of the state. This form of citizenship is rooted in long-standing experience of rac…
Democracy Disconnected
Upgrading Imizamo Yethu
Decolonising Clientelism
Concepts such as democracy and accountability rely heavily for their normative framing on scholarship originating in Europe and America. While these theories of democracy are useful for setting up frameworks with which to engage, it is important to assess the actually existing practices of everyday state–society engagement in informal locations and economies of the global south. Practices of everyday democracy may differ in contexts such as South…
Clientelism as Civil Society? Unpacking the Relationship between Clientelism and Democracy at the Local Level in South Africa
This article, building on analyses from the global south, attempts to reframe democratic expectations by considering where previously maligned practices such as clientelism may hold moments of democracy. It does so by comparing the theory of civil society with that of clientelism, and its African counterpart neo-patrimonialism. It argues that clientelism as civil society may fulfil democratic tasks such as holding the (local) state accountable, s…
A Dying Ideal
Non-racialism as a concept has a rich and contentious history in South African politics. For many it was a core feature of the struggle against apartheid, uniting a range of forces fighting for a society free from racial discrimination. Indeed it is a central tenet in South Africa’s Constitution, forming a core part of the ‘founding provisions’ of the country. However, there is widespread contestation over what the concept entails, both theoretic…
Non-racialism and the African National Congress
South Africa's ruling party is well known as an organisation that supports the ideal of non-racialism. However, the extent to which the African National Congress (ANC) has defined and instrumentalised the concept of non-racialism is contested. This article looks at the history of non-racialism in the party and more recent interpretations by ANC leadership, before examining how non-racialism is understood, 19 years into democracy, by members of th…
Rethinking Non-Racialism
T Drawing from in-depth interviews with 26 prominent South Africans, \nthis article looks at how leaders in government, political parties, business and \ncivil society understand and interpret non-racialism today. It interrogates \nwhether non-racialism is an active political and social project among leaders in \nSouth Africa and whether, and how, they are attempting to redefine nonracialism. The article demonstrates that non-racialism is a term …
Clientelism as Civil Society? Unpacking the Relationship between Clientelism and Democracy at the Local Level in South Africa
This article, building on analyses from the global south, attempts to reframe democratic expectations by considering where previously maligned practices such as clientelism may hold moments of democracy. It does so by comparing the theory of civil society with that of clientelism, and its African counterpart neo-patrimonialism. It argues that clientelism as civil society may fulfil democratic tasks such as holding the (local) state accountable, s…
Trust is personal and professional
This article explores trust dynamics among a coalition of civil society organizations called Unite Behind that formed in Cape Town, South Africa, in late 2017. Unite Behind was established to demand more accountability from a state marred by corruption—and specifically for the resignation of then President Jacob Zuma. When Zuma resigned, the coalition attempted to transition to a social movement campaigning for social justice but declined as a co…
Localising governance in the African city
The paper articulates a model of urban governance, developed through emergent analysis of the rulers, methods, rules and logics evident in the practices of security governance in Hout Bay, Cape Town. Informed by the concept of hybrid governance, this grounded theorising draws on extensive fieldwork on security governance practices in a complex urban neighbourhood to present a model of multiple and sometimes contending forms of governance that inc…
A Dying Ideal
Non-racialism as a concept has a rich and contentious history in South African politics. For many it was a core feature of the struggle against apartheid, uniting a range of forces fighting for a society free from racial discrimination. Indeed it is a central tenet in South Africa’s Constitution, forming a core part of the ‘founding provisions’ of the country. However, there is widespread contestation over what the concept entails, both theoretic…
Hybridising governance for resilience in a time of crisis
Through the lens of food security this paper explores how community-based organisations (CBOs) in low-income neighbourhoods in Cape Town (South Africa) and Cali (Colombia) responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. In understanding how they engaged with and operationalised governance in times of crisis, we are able to critically engage with hybrid governance practices in these contexts and explore their potential to support equitable resilience. The fin…
Defiant citizenship
This article examines the rise of ‘defiant citizenship’ in Hangberg, a historic fishing village set on the lower slopes of the Sentinel Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. Defiant citizenship affirms membership of the state, but on terms that assert the primacy of residents’ right of belonging in, and sovereignty over, the place of Hangberg, even against the will of the state. This form of citizenship is rooted in long-standing experience of rac…
Decolonising Clientelism
Concepts such as democracy and accountability rely heavily for their normative framing on scholarship originating in Europe and America. While these theories of democracy are useful for setting up frameworks with which to engage, it is important to assess the actually existing practices of everyday state–society engagement in informal locations and economies of the global south. Practices of everyday democracy may differ in contexts such as South…
Rethinking Non-Racialism
T Drawing from in-depth interviews with 26 prominent South Africans, \nthis article looks at how leaders in government, political parties, business and \ncivil society understand and interpret non-racialism today. It interrogates \nwhether non-racialism is an active political and social project among leaders in \nSouth Africa and whether, and how, they are attempting to redefine nonracialism. The article demonstrates that non-racialism is a term …
Rethinking Non-Racialism
T Drawing from in-depth interviews with 26 prominent South Africans, \nthis article looks at how leaders in government, political parties, business and \ncivil society understand and interpret non-racialism today. It interrogates \nwhether non-racialism is an active political and social project among leaders in \nSouth Africa and whether, and how, they are attempting to redefine nonracialism. The article demonstrates that non-racialism is a term …
Non-racialism and the African National Congress
South Africa's ruling party is well known as an organisation that supports the ideal of non-racialism. However, the extent to which the African National Congress (ANC) has defined and instrumentalised the concept of non-racialism is contested. This article looks at the history of non-racialism in the party and more recent interpretations by ANC leadership, before examining how non-racialism is understood, 19 years into democracy, by members of th…
A Dying Ideal
Non-racialism as a concept has a rich and contentious history in South African politics. For many it was a core feature of the struggle against apartheid, uniting a range of forces fighting for a society free from racial discrimination. Indeed it is a central tenet in South Africa’s Constitution, forming a core part of the ‘founding provisions’ of the country. However, there is widespread contestation over what the concept entails, both theoretic…
Democracy Disconnected
Upgrading Imizamo Yethu
Decolonising Clientelism
Concepts such as democracy and accountability rely heavily for their normative framing on scholarship originating in Europe and America. While these theories of democracy are useful for setting up frameworks with which to engage, it is important to assess the actually existing practices of everyday state–society engagement in informal locations and economies of the global south. Practices of everyday democracy may differ in contexts such as South…
Clientelism as Civil Society? Unpacking the Relationship between Clientelism and Democracy at the Local Level in South Africa
This article, building on analyses from the global south, attempts to reframe democratic expectations by considering where previously maligned practices such as clientelism may hold moments of democracy. It does so by comparing the theory of civil society with that of clientelism, and its African counterpart neo-patrimonialism. It argues that clientelism as civil society may fulfil democratic tasks such as holding the (local) state accountable, s…
Political Values and Narratives of Resistance
Defiant citizenship
This article examines the rise of ‘defiant citizenship’ in Hangberg, a historic fishing village set on the lower slopes of the Sentinel Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. Defiant citizenship affirms membership of the state, but on terms that assert the primacy of residents’ right of belonging in, and sovereignty over, the place of Hangberg, even against the will of the state. This form of citizenship is rooted in long-standing experience of rac…
Localising governance in the African city
The paper articulates a model of urban governance, developed through emergent analysis of the rulers, methods, rules and logics evident in the practices of security governance in Hout Bay, Cape Town. Informed by the concept of hybrid governance, this grounded theorising draws on extensive fieldwork on security governance practices in a complex urban neighbourhood to present a model of multiple and sometimes contending forms of governance that inc…
Hybridising governance for resilience in a time of crisis
Through the lens of food security this paper explores how community-based organisations (CBOs) in low-income neighbourhoods in Cape Town (South Africa) and Cali (Colombia) responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. In understanding how they engaged with and operationalised governance in times of crisis, we are able to critically engage with hybrid governance practices in these contexts and explore their potential to support equitable resilience. The fin…
Trust is personal and professional
This article explores trust dynamics among a coalition of civil society organizations called Unite Behind that formed in Cape Town, South Africa, in late 2017. Unite Behind was established to demand more accountability from a state marred by corruption—and specifically for the resignation of then President Jacob Zuma. When Zuma resigned, the coalition attempted to transition to a social movement campaigning for social justice but declined as a co…
On a journey to citywide inclusive sanitation (CWIS)? A political economy analysis of container-based sanitation (CBS) in the fragmented (in)formal city
Rapidly growing cities face the chronic challenge of access to safe, dignified and accessible sanitation, in contexts of inequality and informality. Technological and operational innovations, such as container-based sanitation (CBS), are promoted as relatively low-cost market-based circular economy off-grid solutions to deliver citywide inclusive sanitation (CWIS). However, in the absence of evidence that CBS is delivering on these promises, this…
Realities of using self-administered smartphone surveys to solve sustainability challenges
To fill data gaps in human-environment systems, especially in difficult-to-access locations, novel tools are needed to collect (near) real-time data from diverse populations across the globe. Here we discuss the practicalities, constraints, and lessons learnt from six field studies using high spatial and temporal smartphone surveys in six different countries. We suggest that high spatiotemporal, self-administered smartphone surveys will produce n…
Substituting for the State
In South Africa, citizens in both low‐ and high‐income areas are increasingly providing their own services to mitigate the unreliability, unaffordability and inaccessibility of state services. This article examines diverse case studies across socio‐economic and residential typologies to explore shifts in service provision responsibilities from the state to the citizen. Applying an interdisciplinary approach, this article considers the political i…
The moral economy of sanitation provision in informal settlements in Cape Town and Nairobi
This article compares how Cape Town and Nairobi approach sanitation provision in informal settlements, where residents experience vastly different levels of access to safely managed services. The City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality provides free sewered and container-based sanitation, while Nairobi City County offers limited infrastructure, leaving most residents reliant on private providers. Using a moral economy framework, the study exa…
Climate Justice or Climate Apartheid? The justice trade-offs of private solar investments for South Africa's just transition
Political science (12 works) · Law (11 works) · Politics (11 works) · Sociology (9 works) · Law (7 works) · South African History and Culture (7 works) · Economics (6 works) · Urban and Rural Development Challenges (6 works) · Democracy (5 works) · Political economy (5 works)