Marginalized Youth In Times of Democratic Backsliding: Wellbeing and Participation Among Lgbtqi+, Refugee, Migrant and Disabled Youth

Across many societies, young people at the margins – including LGBTQI+ youth, refugee and migrant youth, ethnic minorities, disabled youth, and others – face challenges to their wellbeing. At the same time, backlash against diversity and inclusion, and increasing polarisation have raised new questions about participation. This session starts from the assumption that the wellbeing of marginalised youth is closely linked to politics, cultural inclusion, and democratic participation. The topic of their wellbeing can be approached through the lens of vulnerability, survival, and strategies of adaptation. However, equal attention could be given to young people's capacity to shape their own lives, and new forms of solidarities.

The experiences of marginalized youth provide important insights into contemporary transformations of democracy. The session welcomes, but is not limited to, presentations that address the following questions: How do marginalised youth understand their wellbeing and the obstacles to it? How do they experience and respond to exclusion? How do changing political climates and institutions (schools, communities, welfare services etc.) shape their wellbeing and participation? How marginalised youth create new forms of solidarity and their own spaces? Research exploring how intersecting social positions shape young people's participation and wellbeing is particularly welcome.

This session encourages scholars from both the Global South and the Global North to present their research. We welcome presentations based on quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods approaches, as well as theoretical contributions that shed light on the wellbeing and participation of young people at the margins in different contexts.