ABSTRACT

This chapter draws on a research study conducted with young people in a previously "Coloured", working-class, high-violence community in South Africa about their views on fathering. The data are drawn from the photographs and interviews of nine females and five males between the ages of 16 and 18, who are part of a community-based youth leadership program in Golden Hill. The chapter focuses on the ways in which young people actively contest patriarchal constructions of fathering and masculinity more generally. It demonstrates that young people are able to reflect critically on issues relating to fathering in their community and are able to choose to align themselves with particular constructions of fathering and reject others. The chapter also highlights the capacity of participant-driven methodologies such as Photovoice to enable young people not only to highlight the issues which are important to them, but also to reformulate their identities on various levels.