Where dogs, ghosts and lions roam: learning from mobile ethnographies on the journey to school

Porter, G.; Hampshire, K.; Abane, A.; Munthali, A.; Robson, E.; Mashiri, M.; Maponya, G.

doi:10.1080/14733281003691343

Where dogs, ghosts and lions roam: learning from mobile ethnographies on the journey to school

Porter, G.; Hampshire, K.; Abane, A.; Munthali, A.; Robson, E.; Mashiri, M.; Maponya, G.

Authors

Professor Gina Porter r.e.porter@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Professor Kate Hampshire k.r.hampshire@durham.ac.uk
Professor

A. Abane

A. Munthali

E. Robson

M. Mashiri

G. Maponya

Abstract

This paper draws on mobility research conducted with children in three countries: Ghana, Malawi and South Africa. It has two interlinked aims: to highlight the potential that mobile interviews can offer in research with young people, especially in research contexts where the main focus is on mobility and its impacts, and to contribute empirical evidence regarding the significance of everyday mobility to young people's lives and future life chances in sub-Saharan Africa. During the pilot phase of our research project on children, transport and mobility, the authors undertook walks home from school with teenage children1 in four different research sites: three remote rural, one peri-urban. As the children walked (usually over a distance of around 5 km) their stories of home, of school and of the environment in-between, gradually unfolded. The lived experiences narrated during these journeys offer considerable insights into the daily lives, fears and hopes of the young people concerned, and present a range of issues for further research as our study extends into its main phase.

Citation

Porter, G., Hampshire, K., Abane, A., Munthali, A., Robson, E., Mashiri, M., & Maponya, G. (2010). Where dogs, ghosts and lions roam: learning from mobile ethnographies on the journey to school. Children's Geographies, 8(2), 91-105. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733281003691343

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Apr 1, 2010
Deposit Date	May 4, 2010
Publicly Available Date	Oct 1, 2011
Journal	Children's Geographies
Print ISSN	1473-3285
Electronic ISSN	1473-3277
Publisher	Taylor and Francis Group
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	8
Issue	2
Pages	91-105
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1080/14733281003691343
Keywords	Walking, Environment, Hazards, Gendered work patterns, Educational access.

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Copyright Statement
This is an electronic version of an article published in Porter, Gina and Hampshire, Kate and Abane, Albert and Munthali, Alister and Robson, Elsbeth and Mashiri, Mac and Maponya, Goodhope (2010) 'Where dogs, ghosts and lions roam : learning from mobile ethnographies on the journey to school.', Children's geographies., 8 (2). pp. 91-105.
Children's geographies is available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=1473-3285&volume=8&issue=2&spage=91