The intersections of identity, belonging and drug use disorder: struggles of male youth in post-apartheid South Africa

Abstract

ABSTRACT The exclusionary principles of the apartheid nation undermined black South Africans’ value and weakened their sense of belonging. The transition to post-apartheid was marked by the absence of supportive structures to nurture a sense of belonging let alone form an identity. Today, young people suffer ‘wounded attachments’ to the past and multiple exclusions from the future. Young people, in the absence of conducive conditions for fostering a sense of belonging, face a crisis of making sense of who they are in the 25+ year-old democracy. This article explores the intersections of identity, belonging and drug use disorder through the narratives of eleven male youth (20–30 years) at Soshanguve SANCA Rehabilitation Centre. Overall, drug use disorder is a manifestation of deep structural issues that influence belonging and identity formation; and it doubles as a way of renegotiating identity as young people strive to escape or belong to socio-relational groups around them.