The time of youth : work, social change, and politics in Africa /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Honwana, Alcinda Manuel, author.
Edition:1st edition.
Imprint:Sterling, Va. : Kumarian Press, [2012]
Imprint of Stylus Pub.
©2012
Description:1 online resource (xiv, 222 pages)
Language:English
Subject:
Format: E-Resource Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11408050
Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:1565494733
9781565494732
1565494717
1565494725
1565494741
9781565494718
9781565494725
9781565494749
Digital file characteristics:data file
Notes:Includes bibliographical references and index.
Print version record.
Summary:Draws on interviews in Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia.
Most young Africans are living in waithood, a period of suspension between childhood and adulthood. Failed neo-liberal economic policies, bad governance and political instability have caused stable jobs to disappear without jobs that pay living wages, these young people cannot support families, thus becoming fully participating members of society. As this limbo becomes pervasive and prolonged, waithood in Africa becomes seemingly permanent, gradually replacing conventional adulthood. And with the deepening of the world economic crisis, youth in Europe, North America and other parts of the world face the same crisis of joblessness and restricted futures. In "The Time of Youth," Alcinda Honwana examines the lives of young people in Africa, drawing on in-depth interviews in four countries: Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia. While the case studies are local to Africa, the book argues that the waithood generation is global, and possesses a tremendous transformative potential, as young people believe the struggle to overcome their predicament requires radical social and political change. From riots and protests in the streets of Maputo, Dakar, Madrid, London, New York and Santiago, to revolutions that overthrow dictatorships in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, the waithood generation is taking upon itself to redress the wrongs of contemporary society and remake the world. -- Publisher description.
Other form:Print version: Honwana, Alcinda Manuel. Time of youth. 1st ed. Sterling, Va. : Kumarian Press : Imprint of Stylus Pub., 2012, ©2012 9781565494718 1565494717
Table of Contents:
  • Acknowledgments
  • Preface
  • 1. Youth
  • Youth in Waithood
  • Exploring the Countries
  • Defining Youth
  • Studies of African Youth
  • 2. Waithood
  • Life Course and Transition Studies
  • Waithood
  • Problematizing Adulthood
  • The Unimagined Future
  • Prolonged Transitions to Adulthood in Developed Societies
  • Disadvantaged Youths in the United States and Britain
  • 3. Aspirations
  • Education
  • The Low Quality of Teaching and Learning
  • Absence of Skills-Oriented Curricula
  • Social Disparities in Access to Education
  • Youth Unemployment
  • Unsound Economic Policies
  • University GraduatesâÇÖ Unemployment and Lack of Practical Experience
  • Inadequate Support for Youth Entrepreneurship
  • Surviving in the Informal Economy
  • 4. Getting By
  • Cross-Border Trading and Smuggling
  • Mukhero: Young WomenâÇÖs Survival Strategies in Maputo
  • Smuggling in Tunisia
  • Making a Living in the Streets
  • Scavenging on a Garbage Dump
  • Tabliers and Ambulants in Dakar
  • Informal Workers in Formal Work
  • Young Women Workers in European Call Centers in Tunisia
  • Shelf-Packing and Merchandising Jobs in South Africa
  • Young Men in the Chapa-Cem Taxi Industry in Maputo
  • The Plight of Young Migrants Crossing to Europe
  • Crossing to the Mediterranean Island of Lampedusa
  • Senegalese YouthsâÇÖ Journey to Europe
  • Waithood Subcultures or Urban Tribes?
  • 5. Intimacy
  • Young Women, Sugar Daddies, and Boyfriends
  • Sugar Mamas, Beach Boys, and Toubabs
  • Virginity, Hymenoplasty, and Marriage
  • Refashioning Masculinity and Femininity
  • Marriage: A Costly but Desirable Affair
  • Changing Intimate Relations
  • 6. Citizenship
  • Corrupt Politics and Bad Governance
  • Civic Engagement, Hip Hop, and Political Protest
  • Keur Gui, YâÇÖen a Marre, and Street Protests in Senegal
  • El General and Radio Chada Chaanbi in Tunsia
  • Azagaia, Sociedade Aberta, and Riots in Mozambique
  • Umuzi Photo Club and Kwaito Music in South Africa
  • Globalization and Youth Culture
  • New Geographies of Citizenship
  • 7. Social Change
  • The Youth Revolution in Tunisia
  • The Jasmine, Facebook, or Tunisian Revolution?
  • Underlying Causes of Discontent
  • Uneven Regional Development and Massive Unemployment
  • State Corruption
  • Political Repression and Lack of Freedom
  • The Main Actors of the Revolution
  • Mohamed Bouazizi: An Accidental Martyr?
  • Cyber Activism
  • Young Unemployed University Graduates
  • Civil Society Groups
  • The Challenges of the Democratic Transition
  • The Transitional Coalition Government
  • Slim Amamou, the Youth Cabinet Member
  • The Emergence of New Political Forces
  • Generations and Social Change
  • 8. Global Waithood
  • Notes
  • Reference List
  • Index