Paper short abstract:

At Korhogo, a secondary city in northern Ivory Coast, young men use an expression “looking for oneself”. From ethnography of practices and discourses, I show what this expression says about their position in society, the way they think their situation and how they project themselves into the future.

Paper long abstract:

This paper deals with the ordinary social experience of young men in the light of the expression, "looking for oneself". I will examine both how they define this expression and in which contexts it is used. It describes a mode of survival and a way of positioning oneself to face uncertain life’s condition. Three main matters appear: one of mobility as a response to an unsatisfactory situation, one of work in order to access to financial stability and one of subjectivity as a way to talk about their current and future positioning in relation to parents and peers. Two logic conduct someone “looking for oneself”. At an age, in a male trajectory, it is obvious that one experience such phase. It could be also a critical life event (e.g. parent’s death).

This expression resonates on a national level. It is a part of Ivorian popular culture as evidenced by its use in Zouglou music. Many songs emphasize this individual quest to find one’s place and success while not forgetting one’s family and the importance of patience. "Looking for oneself" says something about the position of these young men in their society, the way they think of themselves and how they project themselves into the future. Finally, I link my analyses with studies on Africa and the Global South which describe often youth people as "waiting", "on pause" or even "blocked". “Looking for oneself” is a way to improve one’s condition and to find a place in society, despite the uncertainty.