Youth and the politics of generational memories: The Soweto uprising in South Africa

This article deals with the individual histories of local politicians and activists in urban South Africa (Cape Town), in which the past is situated in relation to the present. It looks at those who were youths during apartheid and who are now involved in urban politics. This article sheds light on...

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Main Author: Sandrine Gukelberger
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: Laboratoire d'Ethnologie et de Sociologie Comparative 2020-01-01
Series:Ateliers d'Anthropologie
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/ateliers/12436
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author Sandrine Gukelberger
author_facet Sandrine Gukelberger
author_sort Sandrine Gukelberger
collection DOAJ
description This article deals with the individual histories of local politicians and activists in urban South Africa (Cape Town), in which the past is situated in relation to the present. It looks at those who were youths during apartheid and who are now involved in urban politics. This article sheds light on how members of the historical generation of Soweto have produced knowledge, and how these textured experiences have steered them towards certain political commitments. Through their stories, it can be seen how the Soweto generation is commonly taken to symbolise the outbreak of the youth rebellion in 1976. Taking the narrative of the Soweto generation from apartheid to democracy as a point of departure, this article suggests that a historicising, gendered perspective is vital to understanding the continuities and discontinuities in the speeches, representations, and rationales for action in youth activism and local politics in contemporary South Africa. The diverse ways of experiencing and remembering Soweto not only structured pathways for specific actors, but became part of the symbolic repertoire of politics as such in South Africa.
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series Ateliers d'Anthropologie
spelling doaj-art-365f7323fd864fc5bdaad9fe22e39a572025-01-30T13:42:11ZfraLaboratoire d'Ethnologie et de Sociologie ComparativeAteliers d'Anthropologie2117-38692020-01-014710.4000/ateliers.12436Youth and the politics of generational memories: The Soweto uprising in South AfricaSandrine GukelbergerThis article deals with the individual histories of local politicians and activists in urban South Africa (Cape Town), in which the past is situated in relation to the present. It looks at those who were youths during apartheid and who are now involved in urban politics. This article sheds light on how members of the historical generation of Soweto have produced knowledge, and how these textured experiences have steered them towards certain political commitments. Through their stories, it can be seen how the Soweto generation is commonly taken to symbolise the outbreak of the youth rebellion in 1976. Taking the narrative of the Soweto generation from apartheid to democracy as a point of departure, this article suggests that a historicising, gendered perspective is vital to understanding the continuities and discontinuities in the speeches, representations, and rationales for action in youth activism and local politics in contemporary South Africa. The diverse ways of experiencing and remembering Soweto not only structured pathways for specific actors, but became part of the symbolic repertoire of politics as such in South Africa.https://journals.openedition.org/ateliers/12436youthSouth AfricagenderCape Towngenerational memoriesSoweto riots
spellingShingle Sandrine Gukelberger
Youth and the politics of generational memories: The Soweto uprising in South Africa
Ateliers d'Anthropologie
youth
South Africa
gender
Cape Town
generational memories
Soweto riots
title Youth and the politics of generational memories: The Soweto uprising in South Africa
title_full Youth and the politics of generational memories: The Soweto uprising in South Africa
title_fullStr Youth and the politics of generational memories: The Soweto uprising in South Africa
title_full_unstemmed Youth and the politics of generational memories: The Soweto uprising in South Africa
title_short Youth and the politics of generational memories: The Soweto uprising in South Africa
title_sort youth and the politics of generational memories the soweto uprising in south africa
topic youth
South Africa
gender
Cape Town
generational memories
Soweto riots
url https://journals.openedition.org/ateliers/12436
work_keys_str_mv AT sandrinegukelberger youthandthepoliticsofgenerationalmemoriesthesowetouprisinginsouthafrica