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Handbuch Kindheits- und Jugendsoziologie pp 1–14Cite as

A Critical Perspective on Young People and Belonging

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Part of the book series: Springer NachschlageWissen ((SRS))

Abstract

This chapter provides a perspective on the possibilities and challenges of using the concept of belonging to understand young people’s experiences and transitions. It argues that while the concept of transitions has generated significant research on young people’s lives, the tendency for this approach to focus almost exclusively on education and employment (and the trajectories between these spheres). The concept of belonging, it is suggested, opens up the use of a relational register to enable a more holistic approach to research on young people’s lives. Although the concept of belonging is implicit in many of the traditional theories that underpin youth sociology (for example, Bourdieu), the concept has been more widely used in associated fields (such as the study of citizenship and identity). The chapter argues that as young people are subject to transition regimes that increasingly involve mobility, it is timely to turn to concepts that enable us to understand the subjective and structural aspects of young people’s place.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Youth Research Centre, The University of Melbourne, 100 Leicester Street, 3010, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Johanna Wyn

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  1. Johanna Wyn
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Correspondence to Johanna Wyn .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Weingarten, Germany

    Andreas Lange

  2. München, Germany

    Christine Steiner

  3. München, Germany

    Sabina Schutter

  4. München, Germany

    Herwig Reiter

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Wyn, J. (2015). A Critical Perspective on Young People and Belonging. In: Lange, A., Steiner, C., Schutter, S., Reiter, H. (eds) Handbuch Kindheits- und Jugendsoziologie. Springer NachschlageWissen. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-05676-6_3-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-05676-6_3-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer VS, Wiesbaden

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-658-05676-6

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