What is youth? How do we understand youth in its social and cultural context?

Mark Cieslik and Donald Simpson here provide a concise and readily accessible introduction to the interdisciplinary field of youth studies. Drawing upon the latest research and developments in the field, as well as discussing the fundamental ideas underlying the discipline as a whole, it offers a comprehensive yet unpacked understanding of youth as a social phenomenon.

Illuminating the many abstract and contested concepts within youth studies, the book offers explanations to questions such as:

• How might we define youth?
• How can we understand young people in relation to their social identities and practices?
• What is the relationship between youth and social class?
• How do youth cultures develop?
• How can we understand youth in a globalized perspective?

 Key Concepts in Youth Studies stands out as a natural companion for students on youth studies, sociology, criminology and social science programmes. It will also be useful for youth practitioners such as social workers and teachers.

"Key Concepts in Youth Studies is an engaging, concise reference book that critically addresses new work in a rapidly changing social science field....Focusing on discourses, categories, methods, and research with young people, the authors address how social and political changes enable and constrain youths′ opportunities in a rapidly changing world. Although many of the examples are UK-based, this is a valuable contribution to the literature on youth studies globally, the field′s changing research, and future challenges. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above." - CHOICE