Social practices and lifestyles in Italian youth cultures

Abstract

In recent decades social research on youth in Italy has explored a wide range of issues through different interpretative and methodological approaches. However, there are very few studies that seek to identify the keynote features of juvenile condition. This article argues that collective identities and forms of identification among youth are shaped more and more frequently through the sharing of social practices, of the meanings connected to these practices, and of more comprehensive lifestyles. With reference to four main fields (sport, music, politics, religion) and focussing on youth cultures, it analyses the connections between behaviours, attitudes, values and representations of youth actively involved in each of these different fields. The aim is to identify transversal processes through which young people today elaborate and adopt social practices and cultural profiles, create new social forms, and develop innovative signification processes.

Youth Activism in Political Squats between Centri Sociali and Case Occupate

“…The definition of lifestyle adopted here states that these sets of practices do not have either a pre-existent cognitive-axiological system or a pre-determined socio-structural condition as generative elements [94] (p. 177). A lot of youth cultures are nowadays characterized by this weak influence of values, representations and narratives, as well as of cultural models and different forms of capital deriving from social positioning [95]. And, as is known, for several years research literature has underlined that also in many forms of social and political youth engagement ideologies, great narrations and values are weaker and weaker as collectively shared elements, and their social position is often only a very partial explicative factor [94] (Chapter 7).…”

Between Pleasure and Resistance: The Role of Substance Consumption in an Italian Working-Class Subculture

“…Although a few individuals could be defined as the long-timers within the subculture whose leading role is overtly recognized by all members, the process of socialization seems to be rather non-hierarchical and horizontal. This point is particularly important, especially in reference to other praxeological studies on Italian youth subcultures [86,95]. For example, in his attempt to delineate a number of core features in contemporary youth cultures in the Italian context and in fields as diverse as music, sport, politics and religion, Genova [95] (p.85) underlines, "[w]ithout forgetting the peculiarity of each field, [that] it is possible to say that these processes [of socialization] are more and more 'horizontal', developing among peers, with each actor involved both as transmitter and receiver".…”

“…This point is particularly important, especially in reference to other praxeological studies on Italian youth subcultures [86,95]. For example, in his attempt to delineate a number of core features in contemporary youth cultures in the Italian context and in fields as diverse as music, sport, politics and religion, Genova [95] (p.85) underlines, "[w]ithout forgetting the peculiarity of each field, [that] it is possible to say that these processes [of socialization] are more and more 'horizontal', developing among peers, with each actor involved both as transmitter and receiver". Else said, the socialization to substance consumption within the subculture here explored seems to follow, at least roughly, the same mechanisms of socialization identified in other subcultural fields, particularly in the case of other Italian youth subcultures.…”

Youth cultures and style. Analytical approaches and a methodological proposal

“…From this point of view the results and the interpretative proposals are less clear, more fragmented, as well as less transversally accepted. Nevertheless it seems that two main points of reference are progressively coming into light: more and more often collectively-shared behaviour, and more specifically social practices, prove to be fundamental references; more and more often youth cultures based on the sharing of these practices, as well as of their meanings, are fundamental social forms (Muggleton, Weinzierl 2003;Bennett, Kahn Harris, 2004;Hodkinson, Deicke, 2007;Subcultures Network, 2014;Blackman, Kempson, 2016;Gildart et al, 2017;Genova, 2018a).…”