Streetism and Social influence: A Case of Street life and Street culture in Addis Ketema Sub City, Addis Ababa
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Date
2020-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
There is an increasing number of children living on the street of developing countries like Ethiopia. This research has been undertaken with children who live their lives partially(street On) and permanently (streets Of ) in Addis Ketema sub City, Addis Ababa. The study focused on “Streetism and Social influence: A Case of Street life and Street culture in Addis Ketema Sub City, Addis Ababa”. It illustrates the causes and dynamics, street capital, risks, and copying strategies. The study employed qualitative research design, which is suitable for studying serious social problems like streetism. An ethnographic approach employed in natural setting through field work to explore street real life (their culture, risks and coping strategies) from a holistic standpoint. The data collection method was unstructured interview, focus group discussions, case studies, observation and hand writing(give pen and paper to them to write their street experiences and coping strategies in more details by their own hands). The study carried out on a sample of forty eight street children age between 10-18 years who live on the street of Addis ketema sub City. The data was analyzed using narrative because most of the information that have emerged from research questions and fieldwork was real life stories about pre and current life experience. Triangulation employed in terms of different theoretical perspectives discussed in the literature and diversity sources of information. The research finding shows that streetism becomes a way of life because they acquired the street respect system( group culture and urban space), or simply a set of learned pattern of socialization from early and becomes a second nature to them in the process of street creed. Streetism is caused by the minimum set of societies' system failure (family, politics, education and economy). This revealed in poverty, dysfunction of the families(death, divorce or violence), government policies, displacement of people in the country, peer influence, globalization, abuse(physical, verbal or sexual) and lack of vision for future assurance. System failure in a society lead children to depart from their families and live on the street. They perceive street life as a means of freedom, constraints, a house, a food getting area and internalized it as a habit to live. Acquired street habit develop into street culture and becomes a way of life(habitus). They experience both pain and joy life, and created their own culture as a response to the minimum set of societies' system failure in creating sophisticated coping strategies. These days, streetism is a dynamic and complex social problem, and it needs multidimensional and integrated solution from the society at large.
Key terms: Streetism, Social Influence, Street Children, Street Life, Street culture, Risk, Coping Strategies.
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Keywords
Streetism, Social Influence, Street Children, Street Life, Street culture, Risk, Coping Strategies.