{"product_id":"making-a-life-hannah-j-dawson-9781776149537","title":"Making a Life: Young Men on Johannesburg's Urban Margins","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMaking a Life\u003c\/b\u003e explores the dynamic everyday life-making strategies of young men in Zandspruit, a sprawling informal settlement on the outskirts of Johannesburg. In many ways Zandspruit typifies the precariousness of life within South Africa, where two-thirds of young people lack waged employment. However, rather than seeing Zandspruit as dumping ground, Hannah Dawson calls for an integrated understanding of the complex linkages between people's lives and livelihoods, and the multifaceted socio-political landscape of urban settlements. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBased on 14 months of ethnographic research, Dawson investigates how social belonging, identity and economic realities intertwine in places such as Zandspruit. This approach not only challenges conventional approaches to studying work; it also questions the increasingly prevalent perspective that romanticises the adaptive survival strategies of the urban poor. By exploring the intricate connections between those with and without wages, the author shows how young men manage complex social, political and economic conditions. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eMaking a Life\u003c\/b\u003e offers insights into issues such as urban work, citizenship, un(der)employment and inequality in South Africa. At the same time, it contributes to a global understanding of how young people - men especially - manage economic uncertainty.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Hannah J. Dawson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 177614953X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781776149537\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Wits University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/01\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 208\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback","brand":"Hannah J. Dawson","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46545913315583,"sku":"9781776149537","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_2acfb1c0-95d2-4f20-ab45-2ac76351ca6f.jpg?v=1738183681","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/making-a-life-hannah-j-dawson-9781776149537","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}