Constructing Race and Place in South Africa: A Photovoice Study with ‘Coloured’ Men in Bishop Lavis

Abstract

This chapter explores ‘coloured’ men’s narratives in constructing a classed, gendered and raced Bishop Lavis in Cape Town. For decades, research on men who identify as ‘coloured’ has not adequately problematised ‘coloured’ masculinities. Young men who identify as ‘coloured’ have been found to be the most likely to perpetrate intimate partner violence, rape and gang rape. It has also been suggested that violence, drug abuse, gangsterism and alcoholism are prominent features of communities in which those who were identified as ‘coloured’ during apartheid reside, one such community being Bishop Lavis in Cape Town, South Africa. These narratives have led to this complex group of people and their communities being reduced to negative stereotypes. In this chapter, we present the findings of a study exploring the lives of young men who identify as ‘coloured’ living in Bishop Lavis, and provide alternative and more nuanced narratives of their identities, communities and spaces. We used Photovoice as a form of decolonial praxis and participatory action research methodology. The findings presented are drawn from the narratives of the participants, collected through individual interviews, photo-narratives and a focus group. The young men who participated in this study spoke of the complex experiences which have been and continue to be shaped by their race, age, class, gender and location.Keywords‘Coloured’ identityPhotovoiceCommunity psychologyDecolonial praxisBishop Lavis, South Africa