NCJ Number
162536
Editor(s)
R White
Date Published
1993
Length
169 pages
Annotation
Youth studies in Australia have expanded over the past decade in response to changing economic, social, and cultural circumstances of young people; these studies cover such diverse issues as homelessness, unemployment, youth crime, violence in schools, and youth subcultures.
Abstract
The overview of youth studies and youth subcultures is intended to describe the experiences and everyday life of different groups of young people in subcultural terms. Target groups vary significantly and include students, unemployed youth, young men and women, homeless youth, and graffiti artists. Studies of youth subcultures are also informed by diverse values and objectives, with an emphasis on institutional processes, structural cleavages, social divisions and outcomes, and lifestyle options. Issues and questions raised by the overview of youth studies and youth subcultures encompass the concept of youth subculture, commonalities that link different groups of young people, stigmatizing language of the media, and political influences affecting youth lifestyles. Specific book chapters examine subculture theory, the phenomenon of street kids, feminist perspectives on youth subcultures, youth culture and delinquency, ethnographic characteristics of young people, the link between social class and youth subcultures, aboriginal young people, the significance of adolescent peer groups, and youth culture and academic performance. References, tables, photographs, and figures