Young current issue

Young people and social capital: Uses and abuses?

Holland, J. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:50:04 PDT

The concept of social capital has gained wide currency in recent years in sociology and related areas, including youth studies. Politicians and policy makers have eagerly taken it up, seeing building and enhancing social capital as a solution for difficult policy issues, and it has been at the core of Third Way politics. This article provides a general review of social capital, critically examining issues raised by the academic and political use of the concept related to its journey through several academic disciplines, and to its perceived value as a guide to policy. Selected examples of its use in studying the lives and experiences of young people are discussed, as is the extensive research undertaken by myself and colleagues in a five-year multi-project study of families and social capital, focusing on our work on young people.

Responsible victims? Young people's understandings of agency and responsibility in sexual situations involving underage girls

Smette, I., Stefansen, K., Mossige, S. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:50:04 PDT

Most countries have a legal age of consent, setting the minimum age for the involvement of a young person in sexual relationships. Engaging in a sexual relationship with a person below this age is defined as abuse, even if the minor has consented. At the same time, underage young people often see themselves as knowledgeable agents across a range of situations, including having sexual relations with older persons. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, this article examines the role of the construction of agency in young people’s understanding of different types of sexual situations — from consented sex to situations of physical coercion — involving a minor girl and an adult man. How do constructions of agency affect the labelling of different situations and the attribution of responsibility to the persons involved? The article further discusses how the concept of agency interlinks with gendered sexual scripts in the process of interpretation, thereby reproducing gendered vulnerabilities. The concluding section considers how a contextual approach to youth agency may inform preventive efforts.

An exploration of self-awareness among shy adolescents

Lund, I. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:50:04 PDT

The aim of this article is to explore the concept of self-awareness related to adolescents with shyness as an emotional and behavioural problem at school. In its extreme form shyness can be seen as an emotional and behavioural problem that interferes with an individual’s potential for growth, learning and overall well-being. Self-awareness is a rather ambiguous term, and psychological, philosophical and neuro-scientific literature discuss the term from different angles that are relevant for this group of adolescents. During interviews and observations in school, 15 adolescents presented their experiences and challenges. Their narratives are the foundation for a discussion related to self-awareness and implications for future practice in the context of school in relation to this group.

Insecurity of young people: The meaning of insecurity as defined by 13-17-year-old Finns

Vornanen, R., Torronen, M., Niemela, P. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:50:05 PDT

This article critically examines the concept of insecurity as experienced by young people in Finland. Young people’s own definitions of insecurity show how 13–17-year-olds assess their lives and ontological insecurities and threats in the world. The topic is analyzed from a social sciences perspective and interpreted within the theoretical framework of risk society by Ulrich Beck (1996; 2001), Anthony Giddens (1991) and Franz-Xavier Kaufmann (1970).

The data was collected from schools in five regions in Finland. A total of 922 respondents aged 13 to 17 completed a questionnaire in classroom settings. This article analyzes only the data elicited by open-ended questions, which were answered by 683 young people.

Young people’s experiences of insecurity were classified into 16 categories, which were then divided under three headings: (i) the inner circle, that is, insecurity related to personal emotions and inner experiences; (ii) the social circle, that is, insecurity related to social interaction; and (iii) the outer circle, that is, insecurity related to external realities. Young people’s definitions of insecurity reveal their perspective on risk society in which everyone is vulnerable to certain risks.The answers disclose a set of contradictory risks, which are at the same time personal, local and global. First, they connect insecurity to their inner feelings and emotions. Second, they interpret the social relationships and the everyday life experiences in connection with insecurity. Third, insecurity is defined by young people by external realities, such as socio-economic ill-being, violence and war.

In the future, more empirical and qualitative research on risk society and how it is experienced by young people in the everyday life is needed. How do young people connect close and distant security issues and insecurity to their everyday life?

Global citizenship and the 'New, New' social movements: Iberian connections

Feixa, C., Pereira, I., Juris, J. S. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:50:05 PDT

The past two decades have witnessed the rise of a new global cycle of collective action not only organized through the Internet and made visible during mass pro-test events, but also locally shaped by diverse organizations, networks, platforms and groups. Focusing on specific cases in two Iberian cities — Barcelona and Lisbon — we argue that this protest cycle has given rise to new kinds of movements referred to here as ‘new, new’ social movements. We analyze particular aspects of each case, but also discuss their European and global dimensions. The article will also highlight the role of youth, discussing the characteristics associated with the participation of young people in the ‘new, new’ movements. After a short introduction to the research on this topic, focusing on the emergence of the ‘anti-corporate globalization movement’ and related theoretical implications, we provide a description of four protest events in Barcelona and Lisbon. Next, we analyze the local contexts that anchor these events. Finally, we discuss the main characteristics of the ‘new, new’ social movements, examining the links between Barcelona and Lisbon and the wider international context that shapes them and paying particular attention to contemporary networking dynamics.

A young concept in a new country: The institutionalization of the citizenship question in the UK and its generational impact

Huq, R. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:50:05 PDT

For a long established nation-state, Britain’s tradition of citizenship is very young. This article takes the form of a debate rather than being based on empirical research to examine developments of the past decade that have resulted in a steady entrenchment of this concept into official British structures. Citizenship is likely to be more engrained in the consciousness of the young than any other age group following the introduction of its teaching in schools in 2002. Britain’s youth have multiple possible affiliations including European identity and often other ethnic origins, be they Irish, French Hugenot or from the countries of the ex-British Empire. Balancing competing demands from different groups (generational, ethnic and otherwise) is a contemporary UK reality that is ever more acute during the current period of economic downturn. Lazy characterizations of British youth as disconnected from politics ignore the multifaceted nature of both young people and the ways in which they are currently active in civic life.

Book Review: Young People Making a Life

Wierenga, A. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:50:05 PDT