Abstract

This paper explores why young Black South African men refuse low-wage jobs in a time of mass joblessness. Drawing on in-depth qualitative data from an informal settlement on the outskirts of Johannesburg, the paper examines the work histories and social aspirations that underpin young men’s decision to voluntarily quit low-wage employment. This inquiry is animated by a long history of urban young men rejecting the wage relation in favour of alternative livelihoods. It shows that the refusal of low-wage jobs is sustained by other forms of inequality and is closely entangled with race, gender and citizenship. The paper argues that the refusal of low-wage jobs is at once a critique of precariousness and racialized inequality, and a political demand for social and economic inclusion. In taking this demand seriously, the paper maintains that voluntary quitting is a relatively unrecognized form of worker resistance, with implications for how we understand labour market volatility, and the place of wage labour in South Africa’s policy debates and politics.

摘要

本文探讨了为什么年轻的南非黑人男性在大规模失业时期拒绝低薪工作。该论文利用约翰内斯堡郊区一个非正式定居点的深入定性数据，研究了支持年轻人自愿放弃低工资工作的工作经历和社会愿望。长期以来，城市年轻人拒绝工资关系而支持替代生计，从而激发了这项调查。它表明，拒绝低工资工作受到其他形式的不平等的影响，并且与种族、性别和公民身份密切相关。该论文认为，拒绝低薪工作既是对不稳定和种族不平等的批评，也是对社会和经济包容性的政治要求。在认真对待这一需求时，