CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
| Author | Kuti-Alexander, Immanuel |
|---|---|
| Title | Towards a Decolonial Planning Framework for South Africa: Investigating Land and Language |
| Summary | More than 30 years into democracy, South African is still defined by the unequal and unjust power structures left over from its colonial and Apartheid regimes. Despite their efforts, South African planners have failed to address the entrenched inequalities of the built environment. Libby Porter argues that the modern institution of planning has, in addition to its colonial history, a colonial culture that must be unlearned. This is key to understanding the planning system’s shortcomings. Drawing on decolonial theory, I argue that the discipline’s Western epistemic position implicates it in the perpetuation of oppressive colonial structures. Therefore, I argue that the South African institution of planning must embrace a delinked and decolonial framework. Building on this claim, this paper identifies and investigates two areas of contention wherein the coloniality of the institution becomes evident: Indigenous languages and private property. First, I advocate for the incorporation of Indigenous languages, examining the role of language in shaping land relationalities. Next, I discuss the colonial problems with private property, and why planning should centre alternative conceptions of land rights. Both my recommendations address aspects of epistemic coloniality within the planning system, however, they are intended as steps towards decolonisation rather than as universal answers. |
| Supervisor | Steger, Tamara |
| Department | Undergraduate Studies BA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/kuti_immanuel.pdf |
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