Revisiting the youth corridor: from classical through post-modern to late-modern sociology

Abstract

This paper makes a critical appraisal of the contemporary sociological conceptualisations around the study of social transformations and youth transitions. It is argued that new theoretical positions, mnemonically indicated by the prefixes post, reflexive, late, and liquid, tend to challenge the adequacy of classical notions about ‘youth’ as a transitional phase of life, and life-course as a series of stages, linear, cumulative, and non-reversible. Conversely, the post/late variety theories draw upon flexibility, diversity and communication, decentralisation, internationalisation, and de-traditionalisation, reflexivity and individualisation. By repercussion, the ‘take-off’ from childhood to adulthood is increasingly understood as non-linear and heterogeneous. Indeed, youth is conceptualised as one identity amongst many, which may be adopted or dropped at will – something highly contested and fluid, rather than static and given. This paper is divided into seven sections. It begins by considering the literature on classical conceptions of youth transition, and then moves on to post-modern social theory and youth identity. The third section examines reflexive/late-modernisation and transition to adulthood. The fourth section explores the socio-economic terrain of contemporary young people through the lens of global perspective. The fifth section analyses a tendency of returning to a classical sociological toolbox in youth research. The sixth section takes on Bourdieu's key arguments on habitus and social reproduction, and the last section develops the concluding arguments.

Keywords:

• reflexivity
• habitus
• youth
• identity
• late-modernity
• risk
• post-modernity
• life-course
• individualisation

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Tareak A. Rather, Associate Professor in sociology at Centre of Central Asian Studies, University of Kashmir, and two anonymous referees for their advice and suggestions.

Notes

1. This assumption was later negated by the social and demographic developments of the twentieth century. However, it may possibly be held as the first remarkable contribution to the sociological theory of youth.

2. Ontogenetic development refers to the origin and development of an individual organism from embryo to adult, also called ontogenesis.

3. The learning society is a ‘knowledge-intensive society’, a society where there is a significantly higher level of learning intensity to daily life. For a broad discussion see Richard Edwards. 1997. Changing Places? Flexibility, Lifelong Learning, and a Learning Society. London: Routledge.

4. Proponents of individualisation thesis held that people living in late-modernity cannot depend on continuity and stability, and have to accommodate change and uncertainty by creating and recreating their lives on lifetime basis – an activity they call reflexivity, the routine monitoring of yourself and your behaviour, in order to decide who to be, and how to live. Thus, living in late-modernity is a (lifelong) reflexive project.

5. See http://www.prb.org [accessed 13 June 2011].

6. Figures are from United States Census Bureau. 2005. Available at: http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idbsum.html [accessed 25 March 2011].