Postcards from an urban otherwhere: glimpses of life in Johannesburg 2014

This thesis examines the social praxis of middle-class whites in Johannesburg, examining the physical and perceptual consequences of the fortification of middle class suburbs. The thesis explores how heightened fear of crime has encouraged most middle class whites to secure their homes against strangers using physical and electronic barriers of control and surveillance. This withdrawal from public spaces has reduced opportunities for racial interaction and increased white fear of strangers. It is in this context that certain gentrification projects provide opportunities for city inhabitants' engagement with urban spaces and racial others, potentially contributing to the evolution of a non-racial, democratised society.