I am indebted to many wonderful people who were part of the partnership, its building and running, and the writing of this book. Heartfelt thanks to my partner the late Gertrude Square. Her wisdom, courage, and heart inspired me and guided me in profound ways. I miss her deeply. Washiela Arendse and George Rosenberg, both sadly now deceased, welcomed me into Valhalla Park; their commitment across the years was a foundation for this work. A special thank you to the Square family. Many of you were part of the partnership and have become my family in so many ways: Zaida, Miena, Shireen, Kader, Leaticia, and your own families. It has been a privilege to work with long-standing research partners: Dan, Fatima, Koekie, Masnoena, Rosemary, Suki, Lefien, Naomi, Faranaaz, Aunty Meisie, and Aunty Fadielah, Antony, Nawaal, Sylvia, Jamiela, and Eric. You have taught me so much and inspired and sustained our partnership.
I am fortunate to have worked with exceptional and generous colleagues. They have been formative to my work and this book and its completion. Brenda Cooper gave me the courage to write stories and had faith in my capacity to do so from beginning to end. Richa Nagar has been a constant inspiration, critical interlocuter, and a dear friend. The late Elaine Salo was my partner in “crime.” I remember and treasure our teaching and writing together, her joyous laughter and incisive critique. Anna Selmeczi, Antonádia Borges, and Claire Bénit-Gbaffou have been precious colleagues, the dearest of writing friends, brilliant in care and commentary. Lucia Thesen’s conversation and wisdom helped nurture and bring the book to fruition, especially over our shared fence under lockdown. Alma Viviers offered her visual creativity and skill, shaping a layer of this narrative that I had not imagined. Laura Nkula-Wenz and Myriam Houssay-Holzschuch, and the Menthonnex team, cheered me on and set the bar for writing collegiality. The now late Clive Barnett generously read and patiently commented on an early draft. Tanja Winkler and Koni Benson inspired me and kept me going over the years. Saskia Greyling was there from the beginning (as a student) to the literal end, a colleague and friend engaging in this book in such meaningful ways.
This work grew and developed over the long haul in the Department of Environmental and Geographical Science at the University of Cape Town (UCT), and in its later stages at the African Centre for Cities at the University of Cape Town, and the urban studies section in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Basel. Thank you especially to colleagues and friends Susan Parnell, Sharon Adams, Maano Ramutsindela, Michael Meadows, Jane Battersby-Lennard, Shari Daya, Vanessa Watson, Edgar Pieterse, Henrietta Nyamnjoh, Bradley Rink, Janice McMillan, Suellen Shay, Sonwabo Ngcelwane, Shirley Pendlebury, Robert Morrell, Alan Mabin, Francis Nyamnjoh, Divine Fuh, Tim Stanton, Maren Larsen, Kenny Cupers, Jinty Jackson, Geetika Anand, Marcelo Rosa, Dolly Mdzanga, and Neema Kudva. I have also had the privilege to work with Joanne Bolton, Robyn Rorke, Siân Butcher, Saskia Greyling, Inge Salo, and Raksha Ramdeo-Authar, fantastic students who played key roles as assistants in the juggling act of working with me to make the partnership tick. It has been a joy and privilege to work with each of you.
Students from the University of Cape Town, and in later years from Stanford University, threw their hearts into the partnership and its projects. This work has been a teaching test bed, and I treasure the ways in which it became an inspiration for collaborative research studio work with a wonderful next generation of masters of Southern Urbanism and masters of Critical Urbanisms students. This City Research Studio work was designed and run with Noah Schermbrucker, Dolly Mdzanga, and Shawn Cuff at the nongovernmental organization Peoples Environmental Planning; with community-based partners Lele Kakana in Napier in the Overberg in the Western Cape, and Charlotte Adams in Hazeldean-Ekupumleni in Cape Town; and with Adnaan Hendricks and Melanie Johnson in Ruo Emoh in Cape Town.
I had the opportunity to develop this book with the generous support of the Department of Environmental and Geographical Science at the University of Cape Town, a Mandela Fellowship at the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute at Harvard University, a Programme for the Enhancement of Research Fellowship at the University of Cape Town, a Community Engagement South African National Research Foundation Grant, a British Academy Newton Advanced Fellowship, and funding from the University of Basel. Without this financial and intellectual support, this publication would not have been possible.
Thank you to my family and friends who have listened across so many years and supported me in so many ways: my sister, Bronya Oldfield, my parents, Julienne and John Oldfield, my hiking friends who walked and talked the partnership and this book, Amy Mulaudzi, Tanya Jacobs, Anne Magege, Tanja Winkler, and Tania de Waal. Most of all thank you to David and Zoe Maralack, whose love and encouragement, and patience, are at the heart of it all.