Abstract
We began this book with an observation by Bauman which captures the liquid uncertainty of the contemporary era. Bauman has also argued that in these uncertain times, ‘Safe ports for trust are few and far between, and most of the time trust floats unanchored vainly seeking storm-protected havens’ (2000, p. 139). The family as a unit is as subject to the forces of uncertainty as any other social structure, but for young university students it (and other intimate relationships) may also act as a safe haven as well as a central reference point for their hopes and plans for the imagined future, as Cynthia suggests above. For some young people, these relationships are key forms of social capital, affective and practical resources for managing the uncertainties of life, and ‘the most important components for a good life’ (Oinonen 2018, p. 2).
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Black, R., Walsh, L. (2019). Imagining the Family in Post-truth Times. In: Imagining Youth Futures. Perspectives on Children and Young People, vol 9. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6760-1_4
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