Abstract
Many scholars argue that the cultural beliefs of South Africa‟s youth are being, progressively over time, reshaped and revised. With respect to sangomas and how they are viewed, there is some debate on whether young men revere them, visit them regularly, or take seriously their healing rituals and social roles. Currently, there is inadequate information on young people‟s experiences and thinking on sangomas within a sociological framework. Young South African men seem to draw on the services of sangomas, but that does not mean that they hold positive attitudes towards them as anomic situations may compel them to try everything within their power when facing desperate circumstances and extreme adversity. Through in-depth interviews with 15 participants, of whom 11 were young men in the age group 18-35 years and 4 key informants, all residing in Chiawelo in Soweto, in the South of Johannesburg, qualitative insights were built. The in-depth interviews were followed by a quantitative survey of 100 young men in Chiawelo. As such, the study captures the voices of marginalised youth, who are rarely heard and engaged with in their social context.
The findings offer insight into the dominant institutions that shape views of sangomas and highlight a diverse set of issues constructing young men‟s lived experiences. The findings, in summary, reveal that most young men in Chiawelo do not hold a special place for sangomas in their lives. However, they are aware that life has circumstances that prompt one to consult them for immediate or out-of-the-ordinary help, particularly if trusted institutions do not provide satisfactory assistance. Given the insecurities of the present and prevailing scepticism, there remains some space for the youth to consult sangomas in the future or to respond to the call of becoming a sangoma. The pool of available sangomas is also diversifying along the lines of race, gender, class and ethnicity. This suggests that some form of demand exists for the services and thus remains as an inviting resource for young people to access, despite the existence of Christian beliefs and practices. The dissertation concludes with thoughts about theoretical relevance and future studies.
M.A. (Sociology)