The Issue of Repair in Visions for Community-Owned Electricity Futures in South Africa

Titelangaben

Jahn, Eileen:
The Issue of Repair in Visions for Community-Owned Electricity Futures in South Africa.
2023
Veranstaltung: Interdisciplinary Symposium: Decolonial Imaginaries in Literary and Urban Studies , 9.11. - 10.11.2023 , University of Basel.
(Veranstaltungsbeitrag: Kongress/Konferenz/Symposium/Tagung , Paper )

Weitere URLs

Abstract

Based on research in Winterveld, a town located on the northwestern border of Gauteng Province, this paper explores the confluence of repair, reparation, and community-owned sustainable electric-ity generation and distribution within the paradigm of decolonial imaginaries for South Africa's ener-gy future.
Focusing on the nexus of repair and reparations, this study explores how the notion of community-owned renewable electricity serves as a conduit for redressing historical injustices while fostering transformative change. It examines how these decolonial imaginaries empower marginalized com-munities, redress past inequalities, and redefine their role within the energy landscape.
By taking seriously and expanding on the perspectives of residents, the paper disrupts prevailing energy paradigms, such as grid dependency and centralized power generation. Ultimately, framing community-owned renewable electricity as a decolonial imaginary underscores its potential to mend colonial fractures, instigate reparative action, and inaugurate a possible pathway for a future energy landscape firmly rooted in equity, sustainability, and local agency.