Ethnographic Research Explores Social Justice and Community Organizing in South Africa
Dr. Storey’s on-going ethnographic research in Cape Town, South Africa, explores how residents of informal settlements—shack communities in the periphery of the city—organize and work for improved access to water, sanitation, and electricity services. She has been conducting research in Cape Town since 2010, working consistently with several communities and various local organizations, non-profit groups, and social movements. Engaging with the social justice struggles and everyday experiences of communities is critical to both this research and to her overall approach to cultural anthropology—a discipline grounded in long-term and participatory fieldwork, reflecting the complex lived experiences. By working with Dr. Storey, our students build a foundation of knowledge in diverse global communities through experiential learning, preparing them for studying abroad.