Going in Between: Experiences of brokerage and mediation among CSO-workers in the South African energy sector

Abstract

This anthropological dissertation focuses on the position of civil society organizations as “brokers” between low-income communities and a national level in Cape Town, South Africa. Thus, it explores how they translate policies from a national level to a local context and how they mediate perspectives from a local context to the national level. This will be studied through an actor-centered approach on environmental organizations that aim for a transition to renewable energy, compared to the coal-fired plants that exist in the country today. This thesis argues that storytelling is a key tool, both when translating policies and mediating perspectives of low-income communities to stakeholders. Additionally, it asserts that emotions are used to influence stakeholders and that CSOs are reflecting on their own positionality and operate in a manner that seek to distribute power. This will be analyzed through an analytical lens using concepts of brokerage and mediation, as well as concepts of narratives and emotions. The thesis is built on empirical data from six weeks of field work with an environmental CSO in Cape Town where participant observations/observations also of other CSOs, as well as and interviews, were carried out.