Transgressive Citizenship and the Struggle for Social Justice

Lucy Earle is an adviser for the UK’s Department for International Development. Prior to this appointment, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town, South Africa researching access to land and housing in Maputo, Mozambique. Dr. Earle has worked as an international consultant on urban development issues, and undertook her doctoral studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.

“Earle offers an innovative perspective on how the urban poor see themselves as citizens. This is one of the book’s main strengths. … The book poses the right questions and should therefore be read by anyone interested in the present transformations of citizenship.” (Bianca Tavolari, Urban Studies, Vol. 56 (5), 2019)  “This book is an important addition to comparative urban studies in its explanation of how political mobilization occurred, was justified and materialized. It underlines the importance of politics in understanding the evolving definition of citizenship, participation and ultimately democracy itself. Lucy Earle has carefully and elegantly grounded her study in urban social theory and thus enriched the contribution of her work. It is an outstanding book and deserves attention from all those concerned about social justice and the city.” (Michael Cohen, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Vol. 42 (4), July, 2018)

• 1. Introduction .- 2. Housing, Citizenship and the Right to the City .- 3. São Paulo: The Illegal City .- 4. Social Movements in Brazil: Democratisation and Politicisation .- 5. Fronting Up to the State: Constructing A ‘Politics of Rights' .- 6. The Limits to Institutional Engagement: Negotiating Housing Policy the Nice Way .- 7. Occupying the City .- 8. Transgressive Citizenship.