Resisting the Label

This book draws on ethnographic research across multiple European contexts to explore how young people navigate their complex positioning in society today. At a time when environmental disaster, health crises, economic instability, and ongoing conflicts compete for urgency in our collective concerns, young people find themselves simultaneously portrayed as symbols of societal problems and repositories of hope for the future. Through rich ethnographic data, the book examines the shared experiences of European youth as they confront negative everyday representations while negotiating the complex power relations that perpetuate cycles of misrepresentation, stigmatization, and misrecognition. The research reveals how these processes ultimately compound young people’s exclusion from equal participation in social life, offering critical insights into youth perspectives on their paradoxical social positioning.

Spanning the fields of youth studies, sociology, cultural studies, political science, and critical theory, this volume speaks to scholars, educators, policymakers, and practitioners working with young people. The interdisciplinary approach makes it valuable for undergraduate and graduate courses in social sciences, while also serving as an essential resource for youth workers, community organizers, and anyone committed to understanding and addressing the structural challenges facing contemporary youth.

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Youth Studies.

Author Biography

Jo Deakin is Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Manchester University. Her work explores the intersection of youth work, justice, and social policy, focusing on young people’s responses to criminalization and stigma.

Hilary Pilkington is Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester and Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences. Her research explores youth cultural practices, political participation, and extremism.

Zyab Ibañez is Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute of Government and Public Policies (IGOP) at Universitat Autònoma Barcelona. With a PhD from the European University Institute and an MSc from the London School of Economics, his research examines how institutional frameworks influence public policy implementation in employment, working-time, and migration.

Aet Annist is Associate Professor of Ethnology and UNESCO Chair in the Institute of Cultural Studies, University of Tartu. Her research examines social fragmentation, community resilience, and processes of dispossession in neoliberal contexts.