‘Berlin is Not a Foreign Country, Stupid!’—Growing up ‘Global’ in Eastern Germany

Abstract

In this paper we analyse how young East Germans come to be differentially placed in global network space through their socioeconomically and culturally specific engagements with globalised mediascapes and ethnoscapes. We call for greater awareness of the power differentials which shape globalisation, and draw on the theoretical work of Pierre Bourdieu to show how unequal access to social and cultural capital influences and is reflected in the ‘glocal’ connections through which young people develop and perform their identities. Further, we seek to understand how these differential engagements impact on young people's future trajectories through the development of different competencies. We contend that, precisely how young people are positioned in networks of global–local connectivity matters profoundly, both for the performance of their present identities, and for their future life chances.

Opportunity and uncertainty: young people's narratives of ‘double transition’ in post-socialist Poland

“…These sorts of narratives are not unusual – many different post‐socialist research projects have pointed to similar phenomena (see van Hoven 2004, 121–3), and the scale of post‐2004 east–west migration can be seen as evidence of the eventual realisation of these opportunities (see Burrell 2009). These narratives of mobility, constructed by migrants, do need to be counterbalanced by the reminder that access to international, and indeed national and local, travel was, and remains, uneven across post‐socialist countries (Stenning 2005; Hörschelmann and Schäfer 2007, 1865). What is significant, however, is the psychological impact the collapse of socialism appears to have had on expectations and imaginations of mobility for a significant part of the young population of Poland.…”

Tracing children’s politics

“…While the political aspects of young people's commitments in personal and communal matters are increasingly recognized (e.g. Skelton & Valentine, 2003;Cahill, 2007;Hörschelmann & Schäfer, 2007; and the special issue in Area, 2010), the politics of young children's everyday lives remain to be discussed (Habashi & Worley, 2008;Kallio & Häkli, 2010, 2011b). …”

Understanding youth transition as ‘Becoming’: Identity, time and futurity

“…Youth transition has been a new area of interest for geographers interested in children, young people and the lifecourse (Butcher and Wilton, 2008;Hopkins, 2006;Hörschelmann and Schäfer, 2007;Horton and Kraftl, 2006a;Jeffrey and Dyson, 2008;McDo-well, 2002;Valentine, 2003). While this work is diverse and excit-ing, the temporal aspects of youth transition have yet to be developed fully.…”