Social justice required: Youth at the margins, churches and social cohesion in South Africa

Elisabet Le Roux,Zahraa Mcdonald,Elina Hankela

doi:10.4102/hts.v74i3.5046

Abstract

The divides within South African society remain stark, also for youth born after apartheid officially ended in 1994. At the same time, adherence to a faith tradition is statistically high among South Africans, and faith-based organisations (FBOs), an umbrella term including but not limited to churches, also have high levels of youth participation. Scholars have identified positive connotations between FBOs, civil society, social welfare and social care. Within this broader context, and based on qualitative interviews and focus group data, this article explores how young people in two South African communities experience isolation and separation in their everyday life and how they perceive the role of churches, in particular, in strengthening or weakening this sense of marginalisation. On a theoretical level, the article reflects on how two dimensions of social cohesion relate to one another in young people’s everyday life. The first dimension comprises of aspects such as participation, diversity and trust, whereas the second relates to justice and equity. Special attention is given to the relationship between the two dimensions of social cohesion in the context of local churches. We argue that the experiences and perceptions of the interviewed young people support the view promoted by some scholars that, for social cohesion to actualise in society, issues related to social justice must be addressed. Furthermore, churches could play a more central role in doing so – at least more so than what appears to currently be the case.

Highlights

The divides within South African society remain stark, for youth born after apartheid officially ended in 1994
We argue that the experiences of these young people support the view promoted by some scholars that, for social cohesion to actualise in society, issues related to social justice must be addressed, be it by churches or other actors
This article explored the experiences of isolation and separation of marginalised young people in two South African communities, Riverlea and Franschhoek, and looked at how churches impact these experiences

Summary

Introduction

The divides within South African society remain stark, for youth born after apartheid officially ended in 1994. We draw on chosen scholars’ contribution to this discourse, and in particular on De Beer’s (2014) conceptualisation of the notion This allows us to construct a lens that lets us address questions arising in the two case study contexts about youth experiences of churches, isolation and separation. Fitzpatrick and Jones’s (2005) research suggests that those who prioritise solely the first dimension (inclusion and participation) may be using social control and coercion to ensure cohesion This kind of cohesion neglects social justice, and De Beer (2014) argues that cohesion of this nature cannot last: Where social cohesion or rather a version of cohesion that is smoothing over fault lines or fractures, co-opting socially excluded and violated people into visions of social cohesion that are not fundamentally addressing the injustices against them is prioritised over social justice, it is probably truer to think of it as social control and not as social cohesion. By analysing the perceptions and experiences of marginalised young people in these two communities, we interrogate basic assumptions about religion and churches’ role in influencing social cohesion

Methodology

Conclusion