Department of African Studies

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Youth cultures and identities in post-apartheid South Africa: A study of white youth in East London
(University of Fort Hare, 2015-06) Bubulu, Thandiwe
In general, young whites in post-apartheid South Africa seem to face the challenge of being expected by their parents to construct their identities according to the traditional way the parents have lived. Yet, every young person would love to construct their identities in relation to social context prevailing at a time. Post-apartheid South African democracy has brought about changes among which is freedom of associations, as opposed to apartheid which emphasised separateness of races and cultures. This social change, that is, separateness of cultures to freedom of association, warrants new ways of living among the young ones. Using a qualitative approach, underpinned by the social identity theory, whiteness and culture change theory, this study examined how young whites in East London carve out their identities given the reality that political, social and cultural circumstances have changed in the last two decades. Respondents consisted of four male and four female participants.