Cover -- Title page -- Copyright page -- Notes on Contributors -- Contents -- Introduction -- 1. The Professional Constructions of Childhood and Youth in Africa: New Directions for Research -- Introduction -- Methodology -- Science in Society: The Social Shaping of Scientific Knowledge -- Professions and Social Order -- The Professional Constructions of Childhood and Youth in Africa: New Directions for Future Research -- The Ecology of Childhood and Youth Collectives in Africa: Configurations and Transformations -- Institutional Disputes and Stabilisation of Childhood and Youth in Africa -- Childhood and Youth Agency and Institutional Patterning of Youth in Africa -- Conclusion -- References -- 2. New Directions in Child and Youth Research in Africa -- Questioning the Adequacy of Terms Within Child and Youth Studies -- The Use of the Term "AIDS Orphan" -- Exploring Assumptions around The Notion of The "Child Soldier" -- The Importance of Innovative Methods in Child and Youth Research -- Some examples employing participatory research methods in relation to children -- Children's Knowledge of Animal Husbandry -- A children's Radio Project -- The Use of Theatre and Drama in Child Research -- The Use of Art Therapy in Child Research -- Children Exploring Dimensions of Their Everyday Lives Through Photography -- Discussing New Directions -- Notes -- References -- 3. "It is the Common Way but not the Normal Way": Marriage, Household and Social Order in Accounts of African Youth -- A Typical African Youth? -- Incomplete Transitions or Incomplete Analyses? -- The Rules of "Shona" Marriage -- Everyday Elopements -- Ritual Exchange and Daily Care -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- 4. Children's Lives and Children's Voices: An Exploration of Popular Music's Representation of Children in East Africa -- Introduction.

Studies and Representations of Childhood: An Overview -- Popular Music and Social Realities in East Africa -- Representing Modernity and Tradition in Childhood Experiences -- Giving Voice to the Voiceless: The Case of Children in Northern Uganda -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- 5. Teenage Girls, Cell Phones and Perceptions of Autonomy: Examples from Molyko Neighbourhood, South West Region, Cameroon -- Introduction -- Contextualizing the Study Area -- Methodology -- Youth and Cell Phones -- Girls, Cell Phones and Parental Control -- Cellular Phones, Connectivity and Social Life -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- 6. Street Dialogue Spaces: Youth and the Reshaping of Public Political Process in Côte d'Ivoire -- Introduction -- Youth in Ivorian Politics -- Street Dialogue Spaces -- In Crises Maelstrom: Inventing Street Dialogue Spaces -- A Safety Net: Inventing New Solidarity Ties -- Street Dialogue Spaces as Instruments for the Dissemination of Political Ideology -- At the Heart of the Political Game: Between Resourcefulness and Vote-catching -- Space Domination Through Control of NICTs -- Reinventing Youth Culture -- High-Tech Generation -- Informality Persists -- Street Dialogue Spaces as an Alternative Exchange Mechanism -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- 7. The City Production Process: Ouagadougou Youth, Street Culture and New Forms of Engaging with Burkina Faso's Political Sphere -- Introduction -- Urban Dynamics and Decompartmentalisation of Established Social Structures -- Reconstituting a Social Bond: The Emergence of the "grins de thé " -- Grins and Politics: Between the Heresy of the Dominated and the Orthodoxy of the Dominators -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- Back cover.