A tale of two walled cities: Neo-liberalization and enclosure in Johannesburg and Jerusalem

Abstract

This study explores the simultaneous transitions in Palestine/Israel and South Africa at the end of the 20th century through an analysis of the shifting geography of Johannesburg and Jerusalem. After analyzing the relationship between political, economic and spatial restructuring, I examine the walled enclosures that mark the landscapes of post-apartheid Johannesburg and post-Oslo Jerusalem. I conclude by arguing that these walled enclosures reveal several interconnected aspects of the relationship between neo-liberal restructuring and the militarization of urban space. They also exemplify different configurations of sovereignty under conditions of neo-liberalism and empire.

Citation

Clarno, A. (2008), "A tale of two walled cities: Neo-liberalization and enclosure in Johannesburg and Jerusalem", Davis, D.E. and Proenza-Coles, C. (Ed.) Political Power and Social Theory (Political Power and Social Theory, Vol. 19), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 159-205. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0198-8719(08)19005-6