This book is the product of a South African - Nordic research collaboration that wanted to gain
deeper insight into the role that faith-based organizations (FBOs) play in the lives of young
people eking out a living from the margins of society. The book as such distinguishes itself as
a first major international scholarly endeavor to explore the contemporary phenomenon of youth
marginalization from a concerted interdisciplinary faith-based organizational interest. While
the exploration of concepts such as NEET (an acronym for young people not in education
employment or training) social cohesion and FBOs constitutes an important point of departure
the book's essential contribution lies in the empirical work undertaken. In six case studies
conducted respectively in locations in South Africa Finland and Norway the authors make a
deliberate attempt to give a voice to the young people with whom interviews were conducted. The
result is a scholarly work that in its discussions and conclusions is both critical and
appreciative of the involvement of FBOs in the lives of marginalized youths but also the
research achievement itself. Perspectives that recognize the meaningful presence of FBOs in the
lives and lived religion of many young people at the margins are presented while authors do
not shy away either from highlighting the shortcomings of FBOs to work more purposefully with
young people in overcoming the conditions conducive to their marginalization. Ultimately
however this book does not confine itself to a critical perspective on FBOs alone but through
the contribution of some of its authors present illuminating insight into what may still be
required from the point of view of academic research to participate in larger liberative
practices involving young people but also FBOs at the margins of society.
