Neoliberal times: Progress, boredom, and shame among young men in urban Ethiopia

Abstract

In this article, I examine discourses and practices surrounding employment, the experience of time, and international migration among young men in urban Ethiopia to demonstrate the value and limits of understanding cultural and economic processes in terms of neoliberal capitalism. Young men's inability to experience progress and take on the normative responsibilities of adults is conditioned by economic policies associated with structural adjustment and local values surrounding occupational status. Young men construct international migration as a solution to their temporal problems. I argue that local values surrounding status and shame highlight the importance of social relationships for conceptualizing time and space.