Resistance, Resilience and Social Identities: Reframing ‘Problem Youth’ and the Problem of Schooling

Abstract

This paper explores the experiences of young people on a public housing estate in inner-city Sydney. Their relations to schooling, truancy and participation in the illicit activities of the local youth network are framed as resistances, as necessary identity work, given the context of their marginalisation. In their explication of the dynamics of schooling, the network and the neighbourhood, young people claim the margins, as an alternative ‘centre’ where they obtain status, positive reputation, and a sense of belonging to their people. Social identity is central to their experiences and cultural management. The argument is made for two distinct forms of belonging to identifiable groups: that which is ‘chosen’, claimed and desired; as well as ‘unchosen’, ascribed and positioned, identity. How outsiders see them is largely an unchosen identity which young people resist. Chosen identity is mainly associated with the norms and values of the margins. In their transgressions of dominant norms, attempts to counter negative stereotypes, and social critiques, young people's strengths despite adversity are evident. Resistances are thus reframed as resilience.