Bouncing back and holding on : narratives of hidden resilience from young men in Zola, Soweto
- Authors: Korth, Marcel Tsholofelo
- Date: 2011-09-13T08:51:27Z
- Subjects: Young men in Soweto , Resilience (Personality trait) , Crime
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:7195 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3830
- Description: M.A. , Using the concept of resilience, this study investigates mechanisms and strategies used by young men in Zola, Soweto to cope in adverse circumstances. The study breaks with the preoccupation of social science research with 'youth as trouble' issues and resonates with the United Nations' objective to drive forward notions of human development which aim at sustaining support and collaboration in assisting people to develop their full potential. In specific, the study asks the question “What are the mechanisms and strategies that young men in Soweto use to cope in adverse circumstances?” The study, contrary to most resilience studies worldwide, employed a qualitative methodology and relies strongly on data collected in 2007 through in-depth interviews and participant observation among young men of 18-24 years of age in Zola, Soweto, just outside of Johannesburg. The findings highlight how notions of masculinity contribute to the legitimisation of crime and the high uptake of criminal responses to adversity in a context of poverty and inequality – a process I discuss in light of Michael Ungar's notion of 'hidden resilience'. The project's contributions to research are threefold: Firstly, the study contributes to the international body of resilience literature by providing a context-specific account of risk and adaptation among young men in an urban township environment in South Africa. Secondly, it adds to recent discussions on the appropriateness of different methods in studying resilience by reflecting on some of the most common approaches to researching resilience among children and youths. Lastly, the project takes a glance at potential fields of interest for policy and programme development that emanate from the study's innovative perspective on 'youth at risk' in Zola.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Korth, Marcel Tsholofelo
- Date: 2011-09-13T08:51:27Z
- Subjects: Young men in Soweto , Resilience (Personality trait) , Crime
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:7195 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3830
- Description: M.A. , Using the concept of resilience, this study investigates mechanisms and strategies used by young men in Zola, Soweto to cope in adverse circumstances. The study breaks with the preoccupation of social science research with 'youth as trouble' issues and resonates with the United Nations' objective to drive forward notions of human development which aim at sustaining support and collaboration in assisting people to develop their full potential. In specific, the study asks the question “What are the mechanisms and strategies that young men in Soweto use to cope in adverse circumstances?” The study, contrary to most resilience studies worldwide, employed a qualitative methodology and relies strongly on data collected in 2007 through in-depth interviews and participant observation among young men of 18-24 years of age in Zola, Soweto, just outside of Johannesburg. The findings highlight how notions of masculinity contribute to the legitimisation of crime and the high uptake of criminal responses to adversity in a context of poverty and inequality – a process I discuss in light of Michael Ungar's notion of 'hidden resilience'. The project's contributions to research are threefold: Firstly, the study contributes to the international body of resilience literature by providing a context-specific account of risk and adaptation among young men in an urban township environment in South Africa. Secondly, it adds to recent discussions on the appropriateness of different methods in studying resilience by reflecting on some of the most common approaches to researching resilience among children and youths. Lastly, the project takes a glance at potential fields of interest for policy and programme development that emanate from the study's innovative perspective on 'youth at risk' in Zola.
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Gangs : spatialities and socialities in South Africa
- Authors: Maringira, Godfrey
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Gangs , Crime , Violence
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/464583 , uj:41510 , Citation: Maringira, G. 2020. Gangs : spatialities and socialities in South Africa. , DOI: https://doi.org/10.25159/0256-8845/8336
- Description: Abstract: The “making” of gang relationships has remained at the periphery of research, yet it is critical in understanding the continuity and sustainability of gangsterism in different contexts. This paper examines the ways in which young men involved in gang violence forge and sustain their relationships in the streets of a black township in South Africa. I argue that the “making” of gang relationships is never easy; rather, it is characterised by violence within and outside gang membership. The article asserts that, within gangs, violence is a technique which sustains their relationships, as it acts as a source of social and emotional support—especially in a context characterised by fractured families as well as social and economic marginalisation. The paper draws from an ethnography of walking the township streets, being in gang streets, talking to gang members, engaging with and observing young men involved in gang violence.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Maringira, Godfrey
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Gangs , Crime , Violence
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/464583 , uj:41510 , Citation: Maringira, G. 2020. Gangs : spatialities and socialities in South Africa. , DOI: https://doi.org/10.25159/0256-8845/8336
- Description: Abstract: The “making” of gang relationships has remained at the periphery of research, yet it is critical in understanding the continuity and sustainability of gangsterism in different contexts. This paper examines the ways in which young men involved in gang violence forge and sustain their relationships in the streets of a black township in South Africa. I argue that the “making” of gang relationships is never easy; rather, it is characterised by violence within and outside gang membership. The article asserts that, within gangs, violence is a technique which sustains their relationships, as it acts as a source of social and emotional support—especially in a context characterised by fractured families as well as social and economic marginalisation. The paper draws from an ethnography of walking the township streets, being in gang streets, talking to gang members, engaging with and observing young men involved in gang violence.
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Patterns of criminal activity among residential care-leavers in South Africa
- Authors: Van Breda, Adrian D.
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Criminal subgroups , Crime , Offending
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/431933 , uj:37290 , Citation: Van Breda, A. D. (2020). Patterns of criminal activity among residential care-leavers in South Africa. Children and Youth Services Review, 109, 104706. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104706
- Description: Abstarct: Research on care-leaving internationally suggests that young adults with experience of residential or foster care are disproportionately likely to engage in criminal activity and to come into conflict with the law. There is, however, no research on this population in South Africa. This paper reports on a longitudinal study of young people transitioning out of care and journeying towards young adulthood over a period of five years. The sample included 51 participants who had had at least two (and up to five) interviews (spaced approximately a year apart) since leaving care. A mixed methods design was utilised to investigate their patterns of criminal engagement over time. Results suggest three pattern among this sample of care-leavers: those who are ‘crime free’, reporting no criminal activity over two or more post-care interviews (73% of the sample); those reporting ‘incidental crime’, viz. criminal activity in just one follow-up interview, with the crime being of low severity and seldom having conflict with the law (10% of participants); and those reporting ‘regular crime’, viz. criminal activity in two or more follow-up interviews, with more severe types of crime and greater likelihood of coming into conflict with the law (including being found guilty of a crime in court and spending a night or more in jail) and an increase in frequency and severity of crime over the years out of care (18% of participants). Findings are discussed in relation to international literature and implications for practice are proposed.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Van Breda, Adrian D.
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Criminal subgroups , Crime , Offending
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/431933 , uj:37290 , Citation: Van Breda, A. D. (2020). Patterns of criminal activity among residential care-leavers in South Africa. Children and Youth Services Review, 109, 104706. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104706
- Description: Abstarct: Research on care-leaving internationally suggests that young adults with experience of residential or foster care are disproportionately likely to engage in criminal activity and to come into conflict with the law. There is, however, no research on this population in South Africa. This paper reports on a longitudinal study of young people transitioning out of care and journeying towards young adulthood over a period of five years. The sample included 51 participants who had had at least two (and up to five) interviews (spaced approximately a year apart) since leaving care. A mixed methods design was utilised to investigate their patterns of criminal engagement over time. Results suggest three pattern among this sample of care-leavers: those who are ‘crime free’, reporting no criminal activity over two or more post-care interviews (73% of the sample); those reporting ‘incidental crime’, viz. criminal activity in just one follow-up interview, with the crime being of low severity and seldom having conflict with the law (10% of participants); and those reporting ‘regular crime’, viz. criminal activity in two or more follow-up interviews, with more severe types of crime and greater likelihood of coming into conflict with the law (including being found guilty of a crime in court and spending a night or more in jail) and an increase in frequency and severity of crime over the years out of care (18% of participants). Findings are discussed in relation to international literature and implications for practice are proposed.
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Three mini-scenarios on government performance on crime in South Africa, 1999-2004
- Authors: Lubisi, Sethu William
- Date: 2012-03-26
- Subjects: Crime , Twenty-first century forecasts , Politics and government in 21st century
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: uj:2171 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4551
- Description: M.A.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Lubisi, Sethu William
- Date: 2012-03-26
- Subjects: Crime , Twenty-first century forecasts , Politics and government in 21st century
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: uj:2171 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4551
- Description: M.A.
- Full Text:
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