The future of the sociology of youth: Institutional, theoretical and methodological challenges

Abstract

The focus of this special edition of Youth Studies Australia is the future of the sociology of youth; and the questions explored in the articles are outlined in this introductory paper. The authors argue that there are two central challenges of the current moment and the near future. First, the concepts and approaches used have to be shaped to fit a rapidly changing world. Second, youth researchers need to work to cross national and academic borders. The papers in this collection appeal for a reinvigorated sociological imagination of the contemporary worlds of young people, which can work within the nation state, while at the same time tell relational stories that cross these divisions by en..