The Labour of Home

Byrnes, Kathryn

The Labour of Home

Thesis / Dissertation

2023

Abstract

The city of Cape Town's history of designed inequality has continued to maintain and extend barriers to accessing affordable housing for poor and working-class families. This work explores the emergence of occupation as a working-class housing and survival strategy that innovatively addresses these barriers to accommodation. Through intimate one on one conversations and shared experiences, this research unpacks the home-making journeys of a small group of residents at Cissie Gool House in Woodstock, investigating their grapplings with citizenship, past pursuits of home, and the rebuilding and reimagining of space undertaken as they continue to transform a hospital into a home. This thesis has found that occupied spaces such as Cissie Gool House have empowered residents to create fulfilling, central, home spaces for themselves that innovatively address the shortcomings of state housing schemes, while additionally developing social networks and programs that uplift, educate and support residents.

Keywords

Environmental and Geographic Sciences

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