A lively and argumentative analysis of contemporary South African politics that shows how the dream of a 'rainbow nation' consensus has fractured, making space for new political possibilities to emerge. Julian Brown writes that moments of political insurgency "can provide a lightning flash of illumination" into the inequalities of South Africa. His book is similarly revealing. He vividly analyses popular politics, insisting that the mobilisation of ordinary, insurgent citizens has and will impact on the shape of society and as yet unpredictable political outcomes.