Making a Life (eBook)

Young Men on Johannesburg’s Urban Margins

Hannah J Dawson (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025
265 Seiten
Wits University Press (Verlag)
978-1-77614-956-8 (ISBN)

Infos

Making a Life explores the dynamic life-making strategies of young men in Zandspruit, an informal settlement in Johannesburg. It offers insights into issues such as urban work, citizenship, un(der)employment and inequality in South Africa, and contributes to a global understanding of how young men manage economic uncertainty.

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Making a Life: Young Men on Johannesburg's Urban Margins explores the dynamic everyday life-making strategies of young men in Zandspruit, a sprawling informal settlement on the outskirts of Johannesburg. In many ways, Zandspruit typifies the precariousness of life in South Africa, where two-thirds of young people lack waged employment. However, rather than seeing Zandspruit as dumping ground, Hannah J. Dawson calls for an integrated understanding of the complex linkages between people's lives and livelihoods, and the multifaceted sociopolitical landscape of urban settlements. Based on 14 months of ethnographic research, Dawson investigates how social belonging, identity and economic realities intertwine in informal settlements like Zandspruit. This approach not only challenges conventional approaches to studying work; it also questions the increasingly prevalent perspective that romanticises the adaptive survival strategies of the urban poor. By exploring the intricate connections between those with and without waged employment, the author shows how young men manage complex social, political and economic conditions. Making a Life offers insights into issues such as urban work, citizenship, un(der)employment and inequality in South Africa. At the same time, it contributes to a global understanding of how young people - men especially - manage economic uncertainty.

Inhalt

Acknowledgements List of Illustrations Introduction: Making a Life on the Urban Periphery Chapter 1 Zandspruit: A Redistributive Economy on the Urban Margins Chapter 2 Networks of Distribution: Hustling and Brokering in the Township Economy Chapter 3 ‘Who You Know Matters’: Social Connections and Property Ownership Mediate Distributive Outcomes Chapter 4 ‘I Want to Live, Not Survive’: Refusing Low-Wage Jobs Chapter 5 The Aspiration to ‘Afford’: Momentary Consumption when the Future Is Out of Reach Chapter 6 ‘Fighting for Our Future’: Protests, Patronage, and the Politics of Belonging Conclusion: Do-It-Yourself Futures in an Abandoned Zone References Index

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 1.5.2025
• Zusatzinfo: 15 b/w images
• Verlagsort: Johannesburg
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Ethnologie
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Pädagogik
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie
• Schlagworte: economic inequality in South Africa • identity and belonging • Informal Economy • Johannesburg informal settlements • male livelihood strategies • precarious employment • township economy • urban livelihoods • young men's struggles • youth bulge
• ISBN-10: 1-77614-956-4 / 1776149564
• ISBN-13: 978-1-77614-956-8 / 9781776149568