Getting Stuck in the Compound: Some Odds against Social Adulthood in Lusaka, Zambia

Abstract

The young people on whose everyday experiences in Lusaka this article draws come from three different socioeconomic groupings: very poor, middle income, and rich. They are living in an urban setting where space and opportunity have changed in many ways since their parents were young. Focusing on urban space and mobility in relation to gender, the article discusses structural transformations of the city and their ramifications for young women and men. Young people's reactions depend on their socioeconomic location and the kinds of skills and resources they draw from within households and society. Most young people experience urban life simultaneously as exclusion and inclusion. These processes intersect their sociospatial experiences, fueling contradictions between their livelihoods and desires.