Dates: 4 & 5 June 2015
Venue: Brunei Gallery, School of Oriental and African Studies, Thornhaugh Street, London WC1H OXG
Confirmed speakers:
- Professor Tracy Shildrick (University of Leeds)
- Professor Ann Berrington (University of Southampton)
- Professor Rachel Brooks (University of Surrey)
- Professor David Campbell (University of Notre Dame)
- Dr. Jennifer da Silva (Harvard University / Bucknell University)
- Dr. Rob Ford (University of Manchester)
It is widely acknowledged that young people have been amongst the hardest hit by the global economic crisis and the subsequent austerity measures that many states instituted. Yet we also know that the challenges that young people experience are not necessarily temporary or crisis-driven; youth opportunities and values are also being affected by the changes that have been taking place in our social, economic and civic structures over the past two decades.
Against this backdrop, the aim of this conference is to examine how young people are making the transition to (and through) adulthood. In the process, we will focus in particular on youth opportunities in the areas of employment, education and housing and their shifting attitudes towards political engagement, tolerance, trust, and the role of the individual versus the state.
Changes in these opportunities and attitudes will be examined from comparative, longitudinal, and inter-generational perspectives. To that end, contributors to the first session will sketch out the shifting terrains that young people face in the contemporary context when seeking access to education, employment, and housing. This session will include a series of empirical and inter-disciplinary papers from the US, the UK and across Europe. Together, these papers will address the question: what is it like growing up in a time of uncertainty and austerity?
It is widely acknowledged that young people have been amongst the hardest hit by the global economic crisis and the subsequent austerity measures that many states instituted. Yet we also know that the challenges that young people experience are not necessarily temporary or crisis-driven; youth opportunities and values are also being affected by the changes that have been taking place in our social, economic and civic structures over the past two decades.
Against this backdrop, the aim of this conference is to examine how young people are making the transition to (and through) adulthood. In the process, we will focus in particular on youth opportunities in the areas of employment, education and housing and their shifting attitudes towards political engagement, tolerance, trust, and the role of the individual versus the state.
Changes in these opportunities and attitudes will be examined from comparative, longitudinal, and inter-generational perspectives. To that end, contributors to the first session will sketch out the shifting terrains that young people face in the contemporary context when seeking access to education, employment, and housing. This session will include a series of empirical and inter-disciplinary papers from the US, the UK and across Europe. Together, these papers will address the question: what is it like growing up in a time of uncertainty and austerity?
The second session will then examine if youth civic attitudes are changing in response to these trends. Youth attitudes will be examined in comparative and longitudinal perspective, drawing on the rich datasets which are emerging in different contexts. Along the way, we will examine the changing role of traditional socialisation agents (such as parents and schools), but also reflect on emerging actors (such as social media). These papers will allow us to consider the continuities and changes in youth civic attitudes, and to critically examine the current position of our civic institutions.
To conclude the conference, the final session will draw together these diverse perspectives, and explore the implications of these changes for the theories we use to understand youth transitions at a time when these pathways appear to be increasingly fragmented and extended.
The conference presentations are now available:
‘Youth transitions to employment in a context of poverty and insecurity‘, Tracy Shildrick
‘Young adults, economic precariousness, and housing‘, Ann Berrington
‘”Race, class … they can all be a barrier if you choose.” Narratives of resilience and experiences in education of Black African and Black Caribbean families‘, Michela Franceschelli
‘Pathways to Adulthood: opportunity, safety nets and self-worth in the neoliberal era‘, Jennifer Silva
‘Making the “Precariat”: unemployment, inscurity and work-poor young adults in harsh economic conditions‘, Henrietta O’Connor and John Goodwin
‘Civic engagement and young people in England – a new trend or a transitory phase?’, Avril Keating
‘Political participation – a comparative overview across Europe‘, Gema Garcia-Albercete
‘Radical futures? Receptivity to extreme and populist radical right agendas among young Europeans‘, Hilary Pilkington
‘Youth attitudes towards the welfare state‘, Rob Ford
‘Are young people in England less tolerant than previous generations?‘, Germ Janmaat
‘Family Matters: the effect of adolescents’ exposure to political discussion in the home‘, David Campbell
‘The Compensation Effect of Civic Education: how school education makes up for missing parental political socialization‘, Anja Neundorf