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 Social Class
Youth and Social Class
Conceptually class can feature in a straightforward way within youth studies by simply denoting a population of cases that are connected because they are similar in some way such as classes of housing transitions as we see in the work of Ford et al. (2002). Yet social class is more often understood as a form of social stratification drawing on the works of Marx and Weber. Class as used in youth studies tends to employ either the Marxist or Weberian models of analysis. For Marx (1986) class positions arise through specific historical conditions and through one's relationship to the means of production – one either sells one's labour or employs labour. Productive relations or the experience of ...
