A Critical Perspective on Young People and Belonging

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), t..