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Young People’s Constructions of Identities: Global Perspectives

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A special issue of Societies (ISSN 2075-4698).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 November 2023) | Viewed by 25472

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Prof. Dr. Alistair Ross

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Politics and Education, London Metropolitan University, London N7 8DB, UK
Interests: political learning and understanding (particularly of citizenship education and young people; on educational policies for equality and the recognition of diversity, and on the curriculum); political understanding of young Europeans; young people

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Young people in an increasingly globalised society are presented with a diverse range of potential characteristics of identity. Ascribed social identities now appear to be less significant, and achieved identities more possible in many contemporary societies (see, for example, Brubaker’s (2016) Trans: Gender and Race in an Age of Unsettled Identities), using a broad post-structural understanding of identity (Fisher et al. 2020).

This Special Issue seeks to explore how young people negotiate the construction of multiple identities, looking at the processes by which they manage this, rather than the specifics of what they accomplish. We are seeking articles that draw on empirical data from a range of societies, and/or theoretical overviews of the topic. ‘Young people’ are not defined, and may be of any age under approximately thirty. Prospective authors are welcome to correspond with the editor before submitting a proposal, if they wish.

Brubaker, Rogers (2016) Trans: Gender and race in an Age of Unsettled Identities. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press

Fisher, Linda, Michael Evans, Karen Forbes, Angela Gayton & Yongcan Liu (2020) Participative multilingual identity construction in the languages classroom: a multi-theoretical conceptualisation, International Journal of Multilingualism, 17:4, 448-466

Publisher’s statement

Societies (ISSN 2075-4698) is an interdisciplinary journal that brings together different scientific approaches to engage with societal questions to enhance our understanding of the social realm throughout history. The journal publishes original empirical research papers, literature reviews, and conceptual papers. Our aim is to publish papers that are of significant impact on addressing present and emerging societal questions. Therefore, we encourage researchers to publish their results in as much detail as possible. For empirical research papers and literature reviews all experimental details must be provided, so that the results are reproducible. We also encourage the publication of timely theoretical pieces on topics of interest to existing and emerging societal questions.

Contributions have to follow one of the three categories of papers (article, conceptual paper, or review) of the journal and address the topic of the Special Issue.

Timescale

1 December 2022:	call for papers, production of list of invited contributors and provisional titles
	invited contributors to submit provisional synopses (c 200 words)
30 January 2023:	final date for submission of other proposals and synopses
28 February 2023:	distribution of list of all accepted proposals for Special Issue circulated to all author
	Articles may be submitted at any point from this date to 30^th August: submission before this date is welcome. Peer review processes will begin from the date of submission
1 November 2023:	final date for submission of articles to editor

Prof. Dr. Alistair Ross
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as conceptual papers are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Societies is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

young people/youth
identities
social construction

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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31 pages, 918 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Young Europeans’ Geo-Political Identities: A Poststructural Analysis

by Alistair Ross

Societies 2024, 14(11), 219; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14110219 - 25 Oct 2024

Viewed by 416

Abstract

This study analyses the way young Europeans, aged between 10 and 20, construct their sense of identity with geo-political entities such as the nation, the state and the European Union; how these are expressed; and how young people manage the potential multiplicity of identities. It re-analyses earlier data, some 224 transcripts of young Europeans discussing their identities and sense of attachment to the geo-political entities of the state and the nation. This study looks specifically at how they discuss affiliations to a country or nation and does so within the historical context of the development of European nations in the 19th and 20th centuries and the ‘strict definition’ of nationality, as based on either birthplace or parentage. The young people’s discussions identify a wide range of reasons for attachment (or not) to one or more states: these include parentage, birthplace, passports, culture, language, residence, etc., many of which are incompatible with each other. Their response to this is often to profess multiple identities, switching to use that is most appropriate to a particular context or contingency. How does this behaviour meet the various models of identity formation, such as the psychosocial, the socio-cultural, and the poststructuralist? These young people also offer a range of qualities or values that they expect a state to uphold and deliver and are sometimes critical of states’ behaviour in this area. The combination of these attributes and qualities leads to a range of attitudes towards a polity or polities, ranging from acceptance of their status to indifference. The explanations suggested in this paper are that globalisation and migration have led to the realisation that the ‘strict definitions’ of nationality are no longer appropriate, and there are new potential attributes for identity, and secondly, that the development of supranational codification and the implementation of human rights are weakening the sovereignty of states. Together, these two factors reduce the perception of the requirement to develop a single overriding national identity. This combination of multiple identities and recognising the importance of human rights values is most commonly found amongst young people who have grown up in multicultural societies, often urban, and the corollary of this is that combination is least likely to be found among the older population in more rural, monocultural settlements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Young People’s Constructions of Identities: Global Perspectives)

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20 pages, 1698 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Elements of Historical Personal Identity Construction of Finnish-Speaking Students

by Tanja Taivalantti, Johanna Norppa and Jan Löfström

Societies 2024, 14(7), 113; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14070113 - 6 Jul 2024

Viewed by 941

Abstract

In this paper, the constructions of historical personal identity of Finnish-speaking students are analysed. The students participated in a larger study of historical narratives and identities, carried out in 2020 in two schools in Finland and in one European School outside Finland. In the mixed-method study, sixty-one students were interviewed and given writing and drawing assignments on historical identity. In this paper, the students’ visual representations of their personal historical identity and its relationship with wider official history are analysed. The aim is to increase understanding of how 14–16-year-old students visualise and articulate their historical personal identity constructions and the historical elements they use in negotiating this identity. The findings suggest that the students integrate personal and historical social narratives in diverse ways but that the majority of them find it challenging to connect their personal family history with the wider official history. Only twelve students made the connection. In addition to presenting the results for the whole group of students, the visual representations of two selected students are discussed in more detail so as to highlight the difference in the approaches to historical personal identity construction among the students. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Young People’s Constructions of Identities: Global Perspectives)

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15 pages, 598 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Young Italians Negotiate and Redefine Their Identity in the Mobility Experience

by Mauro Giardiello, Hernan I. Cuervo and Rosa Capobianco

Societies 2024, 14(2), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14020020 - 6 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1743

Abstract

In this article we analyze the formation of different identity models of Italian young people experiencing mobility. The article contributes to study the link between youth mobility and identity. It does so through the development of a theoretical perspective that combines Butler’s post-structuralism with Bourdieu’s category of embodied cultural capital. Drawing on this theoretical framework, we analyze the identity formation of young Italians who emigrated to Australia in the last 10 years. The data show the emergence of an identity made up of a complex set of interconnected levels, composed of an incorporated dimension that constitutes the basis of their roots and the performative part that represents the mobile dimension subject to transformation in the course of life evolution. This interpretative lens enables the understanding of how the process of incorporation is connected to the performative and self-transformative one of identity, but also how the different combination of fixed and mobile aspects defines different profiles of identity and a different way of perceiving being Italians. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Young People’s Constructions of Identities: Global Perspectives)

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20 pages, 1231 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Young People’s Construction of Identity in the Context of Southern Europe: Finding Leads for Citizenship Education

by Thiago Freires, Leanete Thomas Dotta and Fátima Pereira

Societies 2024, 14(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14010009 - 12 Jan 2024

Viewed by 1973

Abstract

Identity building can be understood as a fluid process informed by sociocultural aspects and encompassing a strong dimension of othering. Relying on the notion of narrative identity, in this article, we explore the ways in which young people raise and discuss values (human dignity, freedom, solidarity, etc.). To do this, we draw on a set of data collected through deliberative discussions with 378 young people (11 to 20 years old) from four Southern European countries: Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Cyprus. These small group discussions confronted young people about their identification with their country and with Europe. Using thematic and descriptive analysis, we investigate the relationships established by young people with values spontaneously raised by them to build on identity formation. Our results reinforce identity as being constituted in varying forms across the European regions, with relation to values being plural. Yet, there is a strong reference to process values in the four participating countries, such as solidarity and equality, which seem to inform a narrative of an “inclusive Europe”, where community ties matter. Because some level of controversy about values is observed, however, we argue that it could constitute a valuable aspect to inform activities in the field of citizenship education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Young People’s Constructions of Identities: Global Perspectives)

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11 pages, 248 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Young People Developing Their Identity Perception and Values: How Can School Support Such a Process by Bringing in Controversial Issues?

by Juliana Crespo Lopes and Bodil Liljefors Persson

Societies 2023, 13(12), 260; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13120260 - 15 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1793

Abstract

This article draws upon group conversations with young people (11–19 years old) from Europe, focusing on the Nordic countries. The participants’ identity perception showed more aspects as the deliberative, non-structured conversations advanced. From initially showing limited aspects of identity as being related to geographical and temporal aspects, a broader comprehension of identities as constructed, multiple, and at times subject to negotiation and change came to the fore during the discussions. Examples given showed an awareness that people, such as older relatives, develop diverse ways of thinking and acting due to historical and cultural contexts. Understanding that there is an intersection between psychosocial, post-structural, and sociocultural explanations for how identity formation progresses, we propose pedagogical actions working with controversial issues and values, raising critical consciousness of the context. During the conversations, a majority expressed that controversial issues were not something they dealt with at school. By working with controversial issues, the content of conflicts is made visible, and the possibility for students to recognize and respect each other’s diverse identities and perceptions increases. The goal of bringing controversial issues into education and conducting good discussions in the classroom is to help students develop and assess their opinions, gain an increased understanding, and consider new perspectives on various issues. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Young People’s Constructions of Identities: Global Perspectives)

12 pages, 256 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identity and Multiplicity of Belonging in a Europe in Search of Democracy

by Sandra Chistolini, Andrea Porcarelli and Emilio Lastrucci

Societies 2023, 13(12), 247; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13120247 - 28 Nov 2023

Viewed by 2105

Abstract

The research we present concerns the narratives of political and social identity of young adolescents sampled in Northern, Central and Southern Italy. Our qualitative analysis is based on constructivism and aims to enhance narratives by privileging the communication of meanings elaborated by the young people. Consistent with this perspective is our choice of the paradigm of pedagogical personalism, which places the human being as a ‘person’ at the center of reflection. The diverse universe of youth manifests multifaceted aspects that it is possible to bring out using interaction with deliberative, open, and non-pre-conceptual discussion. The link between semantic cores such as democracy, freedom, rights, interculturalism, and citizenship runs through the analyses of the entire research (based on the study by Ross’s work in 2019, Finding Political Identities: Young People in a Changing Europe), examined here specifically in the Italian context. The article presents some contrasting aspects of the way young people living in Europe. They harbor uncertainties and discontinuities from the universe of values inherited from previous generations. However, from the tunnel of doubt young people show that they know how to emerge by outlining the forms of a promise of social commitment containing a hope for change, defined as the design of a future in which alternatives to the current situation can be found. In the background, the theme of democracy shows as an aspiration for something still struggling to be born. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Young People’s Constructions of Identities: Global Perspectives)

13 pages, 1165 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Youth Democratic Political Identity and Disaffection: Active Citizenship and Participation to Counteract Populism and Polarization in Barcelona

by Miquel Àngel Essomba, Maria Nadeu and Anna Tarrés

Societies 2023, 13(12), 245; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13120245 - 25 Nov 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3626

Abstract

Globally, youth satisfaction with democracy is declining—not only in absolute terms, but also relative to how older generations felt at the same stage in their lives. Young people’s democratic political identity is lower than any other age group. One can point to concrete factors to explain such declines—ranging from the growth of youth unemployment to the persistence of corruption and poverty in new democracies. Growing discontent with living conditions is taken advantage of by populist leaders. This populist rule—whether from the right or the left—has a highly negative effect on democratic political identities (especially on youth) and can lead to a significant risk of democratic erosion. Our research aims to explore the significance of youth identification with democracy, and their participation approaches as an alternative to the decline in democratic quality in Barcelona, Spain. Using quantitative data collection and analysis, in this article we present the first results of our research and suggest a path for further investigation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Young People’s Constructions of Identities: Global Perspectives)

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23 pages, 3097 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Linguistic and Cultural Identities of Transnational Background Children in Catalonia, Spain

by Claudia Vallejo Rubinstein and Valeria Tonioli

Societies 2023, 13(10), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13100221 - 11 Oct 2023

Viewed by 3394

Abstract

This article explores linguistic and cultural identities as they emerge in ethnographic data from plurilingual children with transnational and ethnic minority backgrounds in Catalonia, Spain. The particular sociolinguistic and multicultural context where these young people currently live, characterised by the coexistence of local, national and heritage languages with unequal social status, as well as their own trajectories and experiences of socialisation, implies that they often forge complex “in-between” linguistic and cultural identities and senses of belonging. To reflect on these complexities, we analyse multimodal data from transnational- and minority-background children as they participate in an autobiographical activity aimed at promoting linguistically and culturally inclusive pedagogical approaches and participatory action research (PAR). The analysis shows that children’s identity constructions fluently intertwine elements from their “home” and “host” languages and cultures with features characteristic of child/youth popular cultures, and with adscriptions to diverse real and imagined communities. These hybrid articulations, which can be described as plurilingual and transcultural, foreground how identity is both an individual and a social process, transversed by different axes, including cultural and ethnic referents, linguistic repertoires, historic, family and personal trajectories, urban cultures and the influence of friends and peers, among others. The identification of these emergent traits in our data foregrounds both the particularities and commonalities of pupils’ identity construction, which challenges and reshapes traditional understandings of identity. Finally, this work aims to illustrate how transnational children’s complex senses of being and belonging can be recognised and supported through inclusive pedagogical proposals as the one described herein. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Young People’s Constructions of Identities: Global Perspectives)

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11 pages, 412 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identities in Troubled Times: Minoritized Youth in Hong Kong’s “Summer of Protest”

by Kerry J. Kennedy, Jan Christian Gube and Miron Kumar Bhowmik

Societies 2023, 13(10), 217; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13100217 - 2 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1587

Abstract

Discursive experiences can contribute to shaping lives and their identities. For minoritized youth in Hong Kong, the 2019 protest movement provided many such experiences, although very little has been heard about them. Instead, reporting has focused on the experiences of the dominant Chinese population. This paper aims to highlight the voices of minoritized youth in relation to the social movement that dominated Hong Kong in the second half of 2019. It is well recognized that identity is not fixed and that there are more likely multiple identities that transition from one to the other. Yet little is known about the influences on identity formation and the processes that underlie them. This was the issue addressed here. The paper draws on Lacan’s theory of identity in examining interviews involving minoritized youth and their engagement in Hong Kong’s 2019 protest movement. It shows how individual responses to the movement differed, how the movement challenged identities, and how these challenges were resolved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Young People’s Constructions of Identities: Global Perspectives)

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20 pages, 14156 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Street Art in Aveiro: City Walls as Dialogic Spaces of Collective Memories and Identity

by Anabela V. Simões

Societies 2023, 13(3), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13030054 - 25 Feb 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3274

Abstract

In urban centers around the world, street art has become an unavoidable element of the landscape. Located in west-central Portugal, Aveiro is no exception to this trend, and the art form has been used to enhance the cultural vibrancy of a place where tourism is one of the most important economic pillars. Seeking to look beyond the value of street art as a tourism product, by combining observations and photos from field research with bibliographic and documental data, as well as residents’ responses on social media, this paper adopts an autoethnographic approach to offer an exploratory, (self-)reflexive perspective on how street art has evolved into a phenomenon that has contributed to locals’ cultural identity (re)construction. Drawing on Jan Assmann’s cultural memory theory, it is argued that street art can be understood as a form of communicative memory, an ephemeral vehicle into our history, knowledge, traditions and practices, one that, by retelling the story of who we are, stimulates awareness of selfhood and a feeling of belonging to a place and a community. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Young People’s Constructions of Identities: Global Perspectives)

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23 pages, 307 KiB

Open AccessConcept Paper

Social Theory and Navigating Indeterminacy: A Configurational Analysis of Iranian Youth’s Identity Construction in Contemporary Iran

by Abbas Jong

Societies 2024, 14(3), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14030032 - 21 Feb 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2611

Abstract

An emerging disparity within contemporary social science highlights a disconnection between the world in the process of metamorphosing and cosmopolitanization and the knowledge of the social world that is still trapped in the cognitive assumptions of modern episteme, which provided the conditions for the emergence of modern social sciences a century ago. This divide inhibits the efficacy of social analysis in comprehending and elucidating contemporary phenomena. This article advocates for a shift in the ontology of social theory and science towards the cosmopolitanization of the world, characterized by the prioritization of indeterminacy and fluidity in the construction of social phenomena. It investigates the epistemological implications and prerequisites of this ontological transformation, favoring a post-foundationalist approach as the most suitable epistemological framework. In response to the challenges posed by the uncertainty and indeterminacy of cosmopolitanization, after reviewing some of the existing theoretical efforts to address and provide alternatives to this challenge, the article proposes the examination of social configurations as the most fitting subjects for study. This approach necessitates the suspension of conventional, given, regulated categories, and trans-historical theories. It underscores the importance of recognizing configurations as incomplete, contingent units shaped within specific historical contexts and moments. The fluidity, relationality, and indeterminacy of configurations situated between the universal and the singular make them suitable for analysis at the level of particular. After elaborating on the most important features of social configurations, finally, by employing the proposed theoretical framework, this article aims to investigate its effectiveness in analyzing the process of identity construction among Iranian youth in Tehran in the context of the cosmopolitanization of reality, particularly in the face of the Islamist regime of Iran’s official politics of identity. Through a review and revision of selected empirical studies on youth identity construction in the consumer spaces of Tehran, based on the idea of social configurations within the framework of cosmopolitanization, it is argued that the genuine understanding of identity politics in contemporary Iran is not rooted in conventional analytical norms and categories but rather in a comprehensible conceptual apparatus characterized by fluidity and indeterminacy, capable of effectively making sense of the conflict between the politics of determinacy and indeterminacy in Iranian everyday life. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Young People’s Constructions of Identities: Global Perspectives)

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