Growing up in the new South Africa
It was widely hoped and expected that the end of apartheid would bring new and improved opportunities to young South Africans. What is it like growing up in the 'new' South Africa? What are the experiences of, and challenges facing, the first post-apartheid generation of adolescents in South Africa?
This project brings together anthropologists, sociologists and psychologists, drawing on both quantitative and qualitative research, to explore experiences in childhood and adolescence in post-apartheid Cape Town. The quantitative data are drawn primarily from the Cape Area Panel Study, which provide an unrivalled picture of living arrangements, relationships, schooling, work, sexual behaviour and even attitudes among a large sample of young South Africans. But many dimensions of life cannot be analysed adequately through quantitative analysis alone. The Growing Up project entails enthographic and other qualitative research in tandem with survey research.
The core part of the project is led by Dr Rachel Bray. Together with Imke Gooskens and Sue Moses, she is conducting ethnographic research in the South Peninsula area of Cape Town, among white, coloured and African adolescents. This research involves: investigating children's experiences of their everyday home, community and school environments; shedding light on the challenges faced by and the opportunities open to, this generation of young people; and exploring the factors shaping these children's lives following ten years of freedom in South Africa.
The findings from this ethnographic research and from analyses of CAPS data will be compared with the findings from other studies around South Africa, including the Birth-to-Twenty study (a birth cohort study in Johannesburg) and the Transitions to Adulthood panel study in KwaZulu-Natal.
Other components of this research include analyses of adolescents' sexual and emotional relationships, by Lauren Kahn, and of adolescents' relationships with parents and other adults, by Sarah Shelmerdine.
All components of this research are intended to inform public policy and practice, and researchers will be working closely with government departments and NGOs.
Research with children, especially on sensitive topics, raises complex ethical issues. The CSSR is developing a comprehensive policy on ethics in social science research. As part of this, Rachel Bray and her co-researchers have developed innovative information forms to help the adolescent participants in the research make an informed judgement about participation.
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