| ID | 076873 |
| Title Proper | Managing distance |
| Other Title Information | Rural Poverty and the promise of communication in post-apartheid South Africa |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Skuse, Andrew ; Cousins, Thomas |
| Publication | 2007. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article examines rural telecommunications access and use among poor village households in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Discussion is based upon a content analysis of 165 telephone calls, as well as a broader information and communication technology (ICT) ownership, access and use survey undertaken in 50 poor households within a number of rural villages in the Mount Frere district. These data are complimented and supported by qualitative data emerging from a longer-term UK Department for International Development-funded study of ICT use and social communication practices among the urban and rural poor in South Africa. The purpose of the article is to: (i) question existing notions of telecommunications access; (ii) assess the extent to which rural inequalities are exacerbated or ameliorated by telecommunications access; and (iii) examine the extent to which telecommunications are enlisted as a strategic tool by poor households for maintaining kin-based redistributive networks and enhancing livelihood sustainability. |
| `In' analytical Note | Journal of Asian and African Studies Vol. 42, No.2; Apr 2007: p185-207 |
| Journal Source | Journal of Asian and African Studies Vol. 42, No.2; Apr 2007: p185-207 |
| Key Words | Livelihoods ; Networks ; Poverty ; South Africa ; Telecommunications |