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.
Youth and Crime
Youth and Crime
Social scientists tend to make the distinction between crime and deviance, where the former is understood as acts that contravene legal principles that govern behaviour (using hard drugs, for example) and the latter as acts that contravene moral or cultural rules of behaviour (wearing outlandish clothes or sporting a facial tattoo). Such simple distinctions become more complicated when we acknowledge that the power of the media, politicians, law enforcement agencies and public opinion can greatly influence how these categories are constructed. The media focuses attention on violent crime against the person, though in England and Wales it only accounts for around 6 per cent of recorded offences, and although 60 per cent of indictable crime is committed by people over ...
