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 Prah is an Associate Professor of Medical Anthropology at the University of Johannesburg. Her scholarly interests range widely, and include anthropological theorisations in critical black studies, postcolonial studies and the emergent correlations between history and reproductive justice. She is Disciplinary Editor in Anthropology for the University of Johannesburg Press and Co-Editor of Anthropology Southern Africa.

Anthem Advances in African Cultural Studies

Abstract; Abbreviations; Acknowledgements; Picture Profiles of the Children; Chapter One – Moving Beyond; Chapter Two – Meeting the Children; Chapter Three – Identity; Chapter Four – Displacement; Chapter Five – Body Talk; Chapter Six – Theatre on the Move; Chapter Seven – Gevaarlik! (dangerous!).