The “problem” of youth is presented as one of the great challenges of the twenty-first century. In Africa youth are portrayed as perpetrators and victims in civil conflict, leaders and led in political and religious movements, innovators and dupes in globalized culture. This collection navigates through stereotypes of “victim” and “perpetrator,” taking on themes of youth agency and the constructed nature of youth as a social category. It presents a new portrait of youth encompassing transition to socially recognized adulthood, and an identity with its own social and cultural forms. Buy from Amazon

Sponsored in part by the Johann Jacobs Foundation and organized with the University of Leuven in Belgium. The chapters for this volume are substantially revised versions of papers presented at conferences organized by the SSRC Africa Program.