Youth, Globalization and Migration – Local Diversity in Transition

pridal Martin Botťánek

1st call for papers

Youth, Globalization and Migration – Local Diversity in Transition

Mid-way conference in the European Sociological Association’s (ESA) Research Network ‘Youth & Generation’ at Smolenice Castle, Slovakia, 19.-22. January 2007 (Two full conference days and two travel days).

Recent national incidents have reached the global news channels’ ‘break-ing news’ (‘Riots in France’ (CNN, Nov 2005); French protests against youth labour laws (April 2006)), but these are only symptoms of the gen-eral situation of young people in contemporary Europe. Although different, life conditions and future perspectives, not least the labour market condi-tions, are a concern for young people all over Europe (c.f. ‘Man schlägt sich durch’ Die Zeit 30.3.2006). The global and local societal development, the current life conditions for young people, and their responses to the challenges, raise major issues that need to be addressed from a youth so-ciological perspective.

The incentives for sociological youth research are to describe and explain patterns in the life conditions of young people. This includes determining basic values and norms, how they are contested, challenged, defended and changed. It includes actions and reactions, organisations and move-ments. The task of the sociologist is to contest generally accepted ‘truths’, be they ideological constructs about the order and conditions of the world, or misleading discourses about individual behaviour and conditions. It is crucial to identify those issues in the life sphere of young people that cast light upon changes in life conditions, difficulties, risks, failures and de-feats, as well as success.

As the life condition of young people are inflected by aspects of globaliza-tion, sociology need to develop theories, concepts and analyses that ad-dress these changes. Ulrich Beck has challenged sociological traditions by using the symbol of national container concepts and calling for a new cosmopolitan outlook. The processes of globalization put a new perspec-tive on core youth research issues – the transitions within family, school, education, labour market and locality. The transitions in a globalization perspective focus on the consequences of the rapid and extensive move-ment – in and out of Europe – of goods, services, capital and people. The rapid change in European societies over the past three or four decades has dissolved unitary entities and replaced them with new multifarious constructions that were created first slowly then more rapidly.

Europe has witnessed the development of a more multicultural society, re-sulting in greater cultural enrichment, new social divisions, problems and racisms. These sides of globalization challenge the framework of the na-tion state – national identity, welfare state, national regulation and taxa-tion, labour markets, and qualification systems. The possibility of travel-ling freely across borders, studying and working abroad turns into a re-quirement. This might not be a threat, but the unequal ability to profit from these opportunities creates new inequalities. The new cosmopolitan-ism is, therefore, also a challenge for the sociology of youth.

Papers can be proposed within topics related to the conference theme. Send an abstract, max 300 words, attached as a word document to the network coordinator, Carsten Yndigegn, cy@sam.sdu.dk, no later than 31 May 2006.

As the number of participants is limited, abstracts will be evaluated by the board. All who submit an abstract will be informed by the end of June. Prospective participants are requested to register then and pay the con-ference fee (presumably not more than 250 Euro including accommoda-tion, meals and bus from Bratislava to conference venue). There will be a limited possibility for a reduced fee, if applied for. Travelling information and registration details will be supplied with the confirmation letter.

The conference theme is narrower than at the bi-annual conference. The intention is to focus upon the theme described above. We invite partici-pants to address this theme from different sociological perspectives in-cluding cultural, economic and political dimensions as well as taking both academic and policy related positions.

Participants are expected to deliver their full papers by the end of Decem-ber 2006 in order to raise the level of discussion at the conference itself.

The conference will be organized as a small and coherent workshop with a limited number of participants (40). The organisers have target central re-searchers who are expected to provide ‘position’ papers aimed at stimulat-ing debate throughout the conference.

The organizers plan a publication of an edited collection of the best papers from the conference.

The Board of the European Sociological Association’s Research Network ‘Youth & Generation’

Serdar M. Degirmencioglu (Secretary), Istanbul Bilgi University
Britta Jonsson, Stockholm Institute of Education
Raili Nugin, Tallinn University
Gary Pollock (Deputy Coordinator), Manchester Metropolitan University
Vesa Puuronen, University of Joensuu
Carsten Yndigegn (Coordinator), University of Southern Denmark

http://www.valt.helsinki.fi/esa/youth.htm

Send an abstract, max 300 words, attached as a word document to the network coordinator, Carsten Yndigegn, cy@sam.sdu.dk, no later than 31 May 2006.

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