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The Multiple Meanings of Violence

Children's talk about life in a South African neighbourhood

University of London, j.parkes{at}ioe.ac.uk

Drawing on data from an empirical study of children's engagements with violence in South Africa, this article explores children's talk about violence in their neighbourhood. Violence entered into children's daily lives in many forms, repelling and disempowering them. At the same time, violence could attract, when it was understood as a form of capital or a source of control. As children tried to negotiate subject positions in relation to violence, they experienced conflicts and tensions; in managing these tensions, they both resisted and perpetuated violent beliefs and practices. The article concludes by considering the implications for the well-being of young people, and by suggesting ways in which programmes and interventions might support children's resistance to violence.

Key Words: discourse • masculinity • social construction • South Africa • violence

Childhood, Vol. 14, No. 4, 401-414 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0907568207081848


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