Expanding theoretical boundaries from youth transitions to belonging and new materiality

Abstract

This chapter draws on a longitudinal study of young Australians to analyse the spatial dimensions of youth transitions through the concept of belonging. It argues that new materialist approaches provide a useful resource for moving beyond transitions frameworks. Focussing on the materiality of everyday events in young adults’ lives, the authors show how young people’s transitions are formed over time within networks of relationships with people, places and objects. They conclude that, when understood in this way, the concept of belonging becomes a useful tool for gaining insight into the relationship between biography and history in young people’s lives.