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Becoming and Coming Undone on the Streets of Dar es Salaam

Abstract:We examine how young men who have spent years living on the streets of downtown Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, have used urban spaces, as well as particular kinds of spatial "flights" and "fixes," to navigate the process of growing into adulthood. We argue that places called maskani have provided them with a powerful sense of forward momentum, engendering more immediate and future-oriented forms of becoming. As time has passed, however, life at these places has also generated a sense of stagnation and engendered forms of coming undone, which have necessitated particular kinds of spatial flights and fixes. Some men have left maskani and the city altogether, despite limited prospects elsewhere.