Third ISA Forum of Sociology (July 10-14, 2016)

399

The Future Is Not What It Used to be: Young People’s Future Visions in Youth Styles and Spaces of Engagement

RC34 Sociology of Youth (host committee)

Language: English

In a time of rapid, worldwide transformation in terms of socio-economic crisis, ecological transition, migration, populism, terrorism and a lot more, the future is no longer what it used to be for youth. 
Being both actors of the present, and inheritors and creators of the future, young people are essential assets in the development of any society. They contribute to defining our world’s current and forthcoming features by acting upon their views of possible futures in their daily actions. 
Exploring the relationship between visions of the future, youth styles and spaces of engagement, this section aims at giving voice to youth ideas of tomorrow; representing young people’s collective efforts to actualise their own views insofar as these entail civic and political participation. 
Proposals should ideally address the following questions:

• How do young people think about future?
• What are their visions?
• Have their ideas of future changed compared to previous youth generations?
• Are youth and adults’ visions different?
• What factors contribute to shaping youth views of tomorrow?
• How and to what extent are their imagined futures connected to civic and political participation?
• What do contemporary youth styles and specific spaces of engagement reveal about young people’s views of the future?
• To what extent do different current conditions in countries allow for expression and realisation of their future views?
• To what extent is the future imagined and actualised in their interaction with adults?

The section invites both theoretical and empirical studies employing sociological approaches and methods. Submissions that provide comparative perspectives are encouraged, and young scholars are particularly welcome.

Posters: