Summary
Contents
What is youth? How do we understand youth in its social and cultural context?In this timely and sought-after title, Cieslik and Simpson provide a concise and readily accessible introduction to the interdisciplinary field of youth studies. Drawing upon the latest research and developments in the field, as well as discussing the fundamental ideas underlying the disciplines as a whole, it offers a comprehensive yet unpacked understanding of youth as a social phenomenon. Illuminating the many abstract and contested concepts within youth studies, this book offers explanations to questions such as: • How might we define youth? • How can we understand young people in relation to their social identities and practices? • What is the relationship between youth and social class? • How do youth cultures develop? • How can we understand youth in a globalized perspective? Key Concepts in Youth Studies stands out as a natural companion for students on youth studies, sociology, criminology and social science programmes. It will also be useful for youth practitioners such as social workers and teachers. Key Concepts in Youth Studies stands out as a natural companion for students on youth studies, sociology, criminology and social science programmes. It will also be useful for practitioners in area of social work and youth and community development.
Young People and Consumption
Young People and Consumption
Consumption has always been important to any understanding of young people in contemporary societies. The purchase of goods and services offers young people a significant way to express their emerging independence so patterns of consumption can signify the shifting boundaries between childhood, youth and adulthood. Furthermore, the distinctive ways in which young people consume and how firms and organisations target and represent young consumers provides us with insights into youth cultures, identities and transitions. Since the nineteenth century commentators have either seen youth consumption as problematic, disempowering young people or have offered more positive interpretations of consumerism that offer resources for identity work and sociability. More recently researchers have also acknowledged the complexity and contradictory nature of ...
