‘Youthscapes’ and escapes in rural Africa : education, mobility and livelihood trajectories for young people in Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Abstract

This paper draws attention to the significance of mobility in shaping the educational and livelihood trajectories of rural young people in sub-Saharan Africa, with particular reference to a case study in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Young rural people commonly face both economic and political exclusions. As our case study illustrates, in the context of work demands, restricted basic education and poverty, the potential for escape, whether to secondary education or city jobs, is limited and in some respects highly gendered. We draw principally on ethnographic material from interviews with people aged 9–18 years, their parents, teachers and other key informants.