This paper examines the intersection of physical violence, structural violence, and masculinity through the life history narrative of a 20-year-old man exiting an informal gang in Gugulethu, a township in Cape Town. Beginning and remaining with James Madoda's narrative, the paper shows how the gendered physical violence between young men in townships emerges from historical and present-day structural violence – here defined as institutionalised power inequalities that limit life opportunities – and argues that structural violence needs to be discussed and addressed as a policy issue in South Africa. It also suggests that structural violence may provide a platform for collaboration among civil society actors working on socioeconomic transformation and the prevention of violence.
J Brankovic_Young Men and Physical and Structural Violence in Post-Transition South Africa_VTP
Jasmina Brankovic is the Senior Research Specialist at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation and the Associate Editor of the International Journal of Transitional Justice. With a focus on participatory methods, she conducts research on inequality and socioeconomic transformation, climate justice, gender in conflict, and civil society strategies for social change in transitional contexts.
