Young men in precarious situations of persistent un(der)employment in post-civil war Freetown, Si... more Young men in precarious situations of persistent un(der)employment in post-civil war Freetown, Sierra Leone are depicted in popular and policy debate as “stuck” economically or “dangerous” and prone to violence. In the present paper, by contrast, we draw on young men’s explanations of their work and livelihood struggles as “straining.” We explore the logic of straining, its innovations and demands, and its geography across the city, especially where acts of straining interface with the prohibition and criminalisation of informal trading. We argue that straining innovates and endures because of (not despite) young men’s marginalisation and limited autonomy and power. In this context, young men build forms of provisional agency and enact dynamic forms of waithood, in their strategies to earn a living to try to support their families and to negotiate a transition from youth to manhood. Drawing on this research, we argue for a more complex understanding of young men at work in Freetown,...
This article investigates housing allocation politics in the Ikapa townships of Cape Town from 19... more This article investigates housing allocation politics in the Ikapa townships of Cape Town from 1981 to 1994. It focuses on the ways in which officials and community actors struggled for agency in housing allocation through differently constructed assertions of legitimacy ...
Young men in precarious situations of persistent un(der)employment in post-civil war Freetown, S... more Young men in precarious situations of persistent un(der)employment in post-civil war Freetown, Sierra Leone are depicted in popular and policy debate as “stuck” economically or “dangerous” and prone to violence. In the present paper, by contrast, we draw on young men’s explanations of their work and livelihood struggles as “straining.” We explore the logic of straining, its innovations and demands, and its geography across the city, especially where acts of straining interface with the prohibition and criminalisation of informal trading. We argue that straining innovates and endures because of (not despite) young men’s marginalisation and limited autonomy and power. In this context, young men build forms of provisional agency and enact dynamic forms of waithood, in their strategies to earn a living to try to support their families and to negotiate a transition from youth to manhood. Drawing on this research, we argue for a more complex understanding of young men at work in Freetown, in particular, and of the “youth bulge,” in general, in African cities.
Résumé/Abstract Cet article confronte les politiques publiques post-apartheid et les expériences ... more Résumé/Abstract Cet article confronte les politiques publiques post-apartheid et les expériences de résidents de deux quartiers du Cap: un quartier anciennement réservé aux Coloureds (Retreat) et une zone d'habitat informel essentiellement noire (Imizamo Yethu). ...
ABSTRACT The intersections between post-apartheid state policy and the expressed experiences of r... more ABSTRACT The intersections between post-apartheid state policy and the expressed experiences of residents of an ex-coloured area (Retreat) and a predominantly African informal settlement (Imizamo Yethu) in Cape Town are presented. Three conclusions ...
The Journal of Modern African Studies, Jan 1, 1995
THE failure of the African state, capitalist or socialist, to induce successful economic transfor... more THE failure of the African state, capitalist or socialist, to induce successful economic transformation has led to attempts by neo-liberal institutions and scholars to jettison it out of the business of economic development except in the form of' night watchman'.' The minimalist strategy ...
While the state has an imperative to deliver housing, at the same time, many communities actively... more While the state has an imperative to deliver housing, at the same time, many communities actively organize to develop housing in their areas. In the Cape Metropolitan Area alone over 220 000 families live in informal settlements and backyard shacks and qualify for ...
Young men in precarious situations of persistent un(der)employment in post-civil war Freetown, Si... more Young men in precarious situations of persistent un(der)employment in post-civil war Freetown, Sierra Leone are depicted in popular and policy debate as “stuck” economically or “dangerous” and prone to violence. In the present paper, by contrast, we draw on young men’s explanations of their work and livelihood struggles as “straining.” We explore the logic of straining, its innovations and demands, and its geography across the city, especially where acts of straining interface with the prohibition and criminalisation of informal trading. We argue that straining innovates and endures because of (not despite) young men’s marginalisation and limited autonomy and power. In this context, young men build forms of provisional agency and enact dynamic forms of waithood, in their strategies to earn a living to try to support their families and to negotiate a transition from youth to manhood. Drawing on this research, we argue for a more complex understanding of young men at work in Freetown,...
This article investigates housing allocation politics in the Ikapa townships of Cape Town from 19... more This article investigates housing allocation politics in the Ikapa townships of Cape Town from 1981 to 1994. It focuses on the ways in which officials and community actors struggled for agency in housing allocation through differently constructed assertions of legitimacy ...
Young men in precarious situations of persistent un(der)employment in post-civil war Freetown, S... more Young men in precarious situations of persistent un(der)employment in post-civil war Freetown, Sierra Leone are depicted in popular and policy debate as “stuck” economically or “dangerous” and prone to violence. In the present paper, by contrast, we draw on young men’s explanations of their work and livelihood struggles as “straining.” We explore the logic of straining, its innovations and demands, and its geography across the city, especially where acts of straining interface with the prohibition and criminalisation of informal trading. We argue that straining innovates and endures because of (not despite) young men’s marginalisation and limited autonomy and power. In this context, young men build forms of provisional agency and enact dynamic forms of waithood, in their strategies to earn a living to try to support their families and to negotiate a transition from youth to manhood. Drawing on this research, we argue for a more complex understanding of young men at work in Freetown, in particular, and of the “youth bulge,” in general, in African cities.
Résumé/Abstract Cet article confronte les politiques publiques post-apartheid et les expériences ... more Résumé/Abstract Cet article confronte les politiques publiques post-apartheid et les expériences de résidents de deux quartiers du Cap: un quartier anciennement réservé aux Coloureds (Retreat) et une zone d'habitat informel essentiellement noire (Imizamo Yethu). ...
ABSTRACT The intersections between post-apartheid state policy and the expressed experiences of r... more ABSTRACT The intersections between post-apartheid state policy and the expressed experiences of residents of an ex-coloured area (Retreat) and a predominantly African informal settlement (Imizamo Yethu) in Cape Town are presented. Three conclusions ...
The Journal of Modern African Studies, Jan 1, 1995
THE failure of the African state, capitalist or socialist, to induce successful economic transfor... more THE failure of the African state, capitalist or socialist, to induce successful economic transformation has led to attempts by neo-liberal institutions and scholars to jettison it out of the business of economic development except in the form of' night watchman'.' The minimalist strategy ...
While the state has an imperative to deliver housing, at the same time, many communities actively... more While the state has an imperative to deliver housing, at the same time, many communities actively organize to develop housing in their areas. In the Cape Metropolitan Area alone over 220 000 families live in informal settlements and backyard shacks and qualify for ...
Uploads
Papers
across the city, especially where acts of straining interface with the
prohibition and criminalisation of informal trading. We argue that
straining innovates and endures because of (not despite) young men’s marginalisation and limited autonomy and power. In this context, young men build forms of provisional agency and enact dynamic forms of waithood, in their strategies to earn a living to try to support their families and to negotiate a transition from youth to manhood. Drawing on this research, we argue for a more complex understanding of young men at work in Freetown, in particular, and of the “youth bulge,” in general, in African cities.
across the city, especially where acts of straining interface with the
prohibition and criminalisation of informal trading. We argue that
straining innovates and endures because of (not despite) young men’s marginalisation and limited autonomy and power. In this context, young men build forms of provisional agency and enact dynamic forms of waithood, in their strategies to earn a living to try to support their families and to negotiate a transition from youth to manhood. Drawing on this research, we argue for a more complex understanding of young men at work in Freetown, in particular, and of the “youth bulge,” in general, in African cities.