'In this provocative, richly-illustrated book, one of South Africa's most thoughtful scholars probes the everyday meaning of "rights talk", "citizenship" and cultural identity. Contrary to critics who see these developments as merely a retreat from collective action into a politics of individual self-interest, Robins argues that ordinary South Africans are skilled at straddling the multiple languages offered by the state, social movements, and other sources of power. His enlightening ethnographic examples make it plain that post-apartheid politics continues a long tradition of creative improvisation; that it manages to combine the language of rights with an enduring investment in communal forms of belonging.' Jean Comaroff, University of Chicago '... an important book, setting out as it does a strong argument for rejecting some of the more cynical analyses suggesting an "end of politics". Based on some rich empirical case studies it offers some fascinating insights into the postapartheid dilemmas in South Africa.' Ian Scoones, IDS, University of Sussex
