5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

It has long been recognised that many young people in a globalised world no longer see the relevance of state-based politics or state-oriented participation. Today’s youth are highly mobile, and their political subjectivity is not necessarily confined to a single country. While the participation of young forced migrants has been studied, the political engagement of young people living temporarily in another country, such as students, has received less attention. Additionally, youth political participation is intertwined with transnational activism. The internet and social media play a significant role in shaping the political subjectivity of contemporary young people, enabling them, to follow and participate in global justice movements such as climate activism, LGBTQ+ movements, BLM, mobilisation in support of Palestine and others.

We welcome presentations that consider the following questions: How do young people who belong to multiple societies participate politically? What issues mobilise young people globally? In what ways do young migrants engage in both traditional politics and grassroots activism? What determines mobile youth participation? How do young people become involved in global justice movements, and how do they act locally? How can global or transnational support be mobilised for local causes? How are digital opportunities utilised in transnational political participation?

This session aims to encourage scholars from both the Global South and the Global North to present their research. We look forward to presentations employing quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods approaches, as well as theoretical contributions that shed light on transnational political participation among young people from around the globe.