Making a Life

SKU: 9781776149537
Making a Life Young Men on Johannesburg’s Urban Margins by Hannah J Dawson

Making a Life

SKU: 9781776149537
Author: Hannah J Dawson
Paperback·Ages 18+
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Making a Life 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 within South Africa, where two-thirds of young people lack waged employment. However, rather than seeing Zandspruit as dumping ground, Hannah Dawson calls for an integrated understanding of the complex linkages between people’s lives and livelihoods, and the multifaceted socio-political landscape of urban settlements. Based on 14 months of ethnographic research, Dawson investigates how social belonging, identity and economic realities intertwine in places such as 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 wages, 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.

Book details

Format
Paperback
Reading age
18+
Pages
208
Publisher
NYU Press
Published
1 May 2025
Language
English
ISBN
9781776149537

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