Youth theory in South Africa: an indigenous African perspective derived from Sepedi idioms and proverbs
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: While there is general underdevelopment of social theory within African scholarship, where the latter tends to rely heavily on borrowing from other scholarships, and in some instances adapt theories developed from elsewhere in a creative manner, notably from Northern scholarly discourses. This does not however, suggest the absence of theory within indigenous African knowledge systems. This article demonstrates, in a constructivist tradition pioneered by African scholars such as Akiwowo and Mafeje that there are rich theoretical and conceptual insights within the indigenous African folklore such as proverbs, poetry, and legends. It is observed that there is elaborate youth theory within South African indigenous communities' cultural heritage and folklore - especially proverbs and idioms. The article discusses such proverbs and idioms in a manner that deciphers their rich theoretical content and insights on young persons as an important social category of African communities, using idioms and proverbs of the Bapedi people of South Africa as examples.
DOI: 10.14749/32380455
Author: Human Sciences Research Council
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Human Sciences Research Council
OpenAlex ID: W7162202656
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: