ABSTRACT
Within the growing field of ‘children’s geographies’, increasing attention is being given to the methodological and ethical issues involved in studying children and young people. Most of these discussions, however, have focused on children below the age of 18 and/or young people in western settings. In the following I reflect on the methodology employed in an ongoing research project with young people aged 16–33 in Ghana. 1 Set in an urban context of rapid socio-economic change, the research aims to explore young people’s everyday life and life strategies. Doing research with young people in Africa requires a careful reflexive practice. Reflexivity, as adopted by feminist and children’s geographers, is employed to map the power relationship between the researcher and the researched and the way it affects the production of knowledge (Rose, 1997; Barker and Smith, 2001; Barker and Weller, 2003). Drawing on a reflexive practice I explore the merits and shortcomings of using different methods with young people in Ghana. I start by discussing the concept of youth in Africa and how it influences the type of information that is sought and the way young people are being positioned in the research process.
