Redefining vulnerability: Orphanhood, educational participation, and agency among secondary school students in Lesotho

This qualitative vertical case study examines the concept of child "vulnerability" in the context of Lesotho, a country with one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in the world. In recent years, access to schooling for children orphaned and made vulnerable by AIDS has emerged as a major humanitarian concern, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. International discourse largely paints "orphans and vulnerable children" as passive victims of complex social processes, but ethnographic findings from this study indicate that "vulnerable" children in Lesotho exercise a high degree of autonomy that is often manifested through manganga , or stubbornness, which is conceptualized as a local form of youth agency.;In Lesotho, "vulnerability" is locally defined as visible poverty resulting from the lack of a strong adult caregiver. In a context where norms of childhood emphasize subservience to adults, "vulnerable" children have little choice but to take control of their own lives in order to survive, exercising a high level of autonomy. By entering the world of adults, many "vulnerable" young people begin to resist the cultural norms that govern and regulate children, and in doing so are often labeled by adults as manganga, or "stubborn." Acting "stubborn" is one way in which "vulnerable" children can exercise control over their own lives and resist the status quo, engaging in behaviors that can be both self-destructive and transformational.;Lesotho's educational structures are highly authoritarian and emphasize both student subservience and corporal punishment. At the secondary level, "vulnerable" students often choose to exercise manganga on the school grounds---questioning the authority of their teachers, breaking rules, engaging in unsanctioned behaviors, and often being expelled, or choosing to drop out. At the same time, some children find creative ways to remain in school despite challenges. This study raises important questions about the ability of the authoritarian school culture to attract and retain "vulnerable" students and points to the need to transform schools into safe, welcoming spaces for all learners. In addition, the research demonstrates that policymakers need to account for the voices, experiences and agency of the young people whose lives are shaped by educational interventions.