Religion and ideology: an in-depth study of christian youth in the Pretoria-witwatersrand-vereeniging area

Abstract

The thesis focusses its research on the processc.Js of ideological change amongst Christian Youth in contemporary South Africa. The relationship between religion and ideology is generally a contentious one and the subject of particular debate in a society like South Africa in the throes of change and consequently ideological flux. Through utilising the main tools of research, the in-depth interview complemented by participant observation, tren major subject discourses were identified which are key in explaining why Christian youth did or did not undergo ideological change. Furthermore through analysing the range of six possible ways In which Christian youth either integrated or failed to relate their religious and politico, ideological discourses, it was possible to uncover and explain the ideological roots behind different conceptions of what being religious means for people. While the research into this area is both new and hence experimental, the results nevertheless, allow for a preliminary outline of the possible implications this may hold for the church as a site of struggle.