Legacies of Forced Removals in South Africa: Accounting for Children’’s Reflections of Displacement in the Western Cape

A poignant exploration of the impact of histories of displacement and the subsequent marginalisations this causes on children’s experiences in post-apartheid South Africa

The book explores themes of power, ideology, and identity formation, particularly through a post-structuralist lens. It examines how the state influences the well-being of its citizens, focusing on children living in marginalized circumstances. By following the lives of several children exposed to pervasive violence, the author illustrates how these experiences shape their identities and the broader societal context.

The study identifies key themes such as the effects of forced removals, displacement, marginalization, and the prevalence of violence in Blue Waters Refugee Camp Site C and Symphony Way Temporary Relocation Area. By examining pathways and patterns related to identity, embodiment, health and illness, as well as the expressive nature of theatre, the research yielded rich ethnographic data on children’s experiences in these settings. Central to this study, and to the broader field of children and childhood studies, is the understanding that children are perceptive, active agents in shaping their own unfolding narratives.Taking into account the violence that permeates through everyday life in South Africa, this book makes an essential contribution to future housing policy design and implementation by deepening our understanding of the socioeconomic structures that exacerbate divisions based on geography, race and class. Evidently, for children living in frequent and forced mobility, their experiences are suffused with violent tensions that follow them across the changing landscapes generated by frequent mobility.

Efua Tembisa Prah is a lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at the University of Stellenbosch. Her research reflects her interests in anthropological theorisations in intercontinental African migration politics, refugee studies, adolescent and childhood studies, and studies of the embodiment of sexuality, pregnancy, and birthing.