Young Adults’ Experiences of Violence in the Public Realm

The paper explores young adults’ experiences of violence and harassment in the public domain. The challenges they face in everyday life activities include taking public transport, socialising or walking around in the urban milieu. The public sphere is, in many societies, a traditional and ideologically contested realm fashioned throughout generations and integrated into a nation-state’s hegemonic ideology, its traditions, power structures, social cohesion and normalised systemic-symbolic violence. In the urban environment, agency freedom, safety and risk are prejudiced by gender and ethnic belonging, likewise as social and cultural traditions. The focus is on university students’ experiences and strategies to stay safe in the public realm. A challenging task that demands constant alertness and planning, particularly for females, minority ethnic and non-binary gender groups.