Young People in Complex and Unequal Societies

Book excerpt: Youth studies in Latin America and Spain face numerous challenges. This book delves into youth experiences in the 21st century, shaped by complex and pressing issues: the surge of youth cultures and groups, visual images of youth throughout time, and fragmented youth experiences in radically unequal societies. It analyzes young people as precarious natives in global capitalism and labor uncertainty, juvenicide, feminist discourse, social networks, intimacy and sexual affection among young people in a context of growing claims of gender equality. Also included are rural and indigenous youth as political actors, the actions of young political activists within government administrations, the experience of youth migration and empowerment, and young people dealing with the digital world. How have youth studies approached these issues in Latin America and Spain? Which were the main developments and transformations in this research field over the past years? Where is it heading? Contributors are: Jorge Benedicto, Maritza Urteaga, Dolores Rocca, José Antonio Pérez Islas, Juan Carlos Revilla, Mariano Urraco, Almudena Moreno, Óscar Aguilera, Marcela Saá, Rafael Merino, Ana Miranda, Carles Feixa, Gonzalo Saraví, Antonio Santos-Ortega, David Muñoz-Rodríguez, Arantxa Grau-Muñoz, José Manuel Valenzuela, Silvia Elizalde, Mónica Figueras, Mittzy Arciniega, Nele Hansen, Tanja Strecker, Elisa G. de Castro, Melina Vázquez, René Unda, Daniel Llanos, Sonia Páez de la Torre, Pere Soler, Daniel Calderón, and Stribor Kuric.