The human face of violence

Hostel Dwellers Speak

Dados Bibliográficos

ID4846040
AutoresLauren Segal (0000-0003-0652-8650, University of the Witwatersrand, autor correspondente)
Ano1992
Volume18
Fascículo1
Páginas190-231
Data de publicação1992-03-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoJournal of Southern African Studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0305-7070 • E-ISSN: 1465-3893
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/03057079208708311
OpenAlexW2036779571
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas20
Referências citadas9

In the latter half of 1990 there was a rapid spiralling of violence in townships across the Witwatersrand. Hostel dwellers were a key group of protagonists in the bloody internecine clashes which still continue. Very few explanations, however, have penetrated beyond superficial explanations of this group's involvement in the violence. This paper, which contains exerpts from interviews with hostel dwellers, seeks to unveil some of the reasons behind their participation, and so presents the ‘human face of violence’. It attempts to contextualise direct questions about the violence within, first, the broader historical conditions that have characterised the hostel community and, second, the broader political processes that have had an impact on the lives of hostel dwellers. While the small sample of interviews prevents any generalisations about the causes of the violence from being made, the interviews provide useful insights, as well as starting points, for a more extensive investigation of the subject

Criminology · Political science · Politics · Social science · Sociology · Gender Studies · Law · South African History and Culture