Young Warriors: Youth Politics, Identity and Violence in South Africa (review)

Abstract

Much has been written about South Africa's "lost generation" -- the generation of politicized youth who dedicated their lives to the liberation of a nation, and who have "lost" everything in the process. Young Warriors is about this generation, but it is also a critique of the very concept of a "lost generation." It is the story of activists who have become leaders, provincial premiers and national ministers in our democratic society. While focusing on the lives of the men and women who lived in Diepkloof, a black "township" in South Africa, it is also the narrative of many black South Africans who "grew up" in the organizations of the {ANC}-led liberation movement.