Introduction: New Theoretical Approaches to the Sociological Study of Young People

In: International social science journal: ISSJ, Band 24, Heft 2, S. 216-256

Abstract

An overview is attempted of sociol'al res on youth in Europe, the US, Africa, & Latin America. Res gaps exist in the following areas: (1) the conditions for pol'al participation & pol'al innovation by young people in the countries of the Third World have still not been adequately studied; (2) there is a need for a history & soc sci of the signif of 'youth' in the Third World; & (3) a general typology should be developed of sociol'al problems of youth across regions & cultures, to cover, among other aspects, fam discontinuity under Ur'ization & Ru/Ur migration, & difficulties of young women in escaping from their underprivileged & repressed status. There is an urgent need to develop & improve methods by linking direct inquiry & observation techniques with 'indirect' data & by combining "obtrusive" with 'unobtrusive' data. Specialization of inquiry, eg, by defining a clear practical relevance, may be essential. Greater attention must be given to the relationship between res & planning. There is a real need for a critical sci'fic reappraisal of the naive or unsophisticated concept of youth on which a great deal of res has been based, & for further extension of the theoretical terms. Suggestions are made for a review of the definition & subject area of youth sociol. The following aspects are explored in detail: (a) the theory of the instit'al integration of youth; (b) youth sociol based on the generation concept; (c) the theory of youth centering on the soc context; (d) the theory of youth as a theory of soc change determined by soc'ly deviant groups; (e) youth sociol based on the comparison of young people's motives & aspirations with their soc prospects & challenges; & (f) a neo-Marxist theory of youth. Finally, some "notes towards a historico-sociol'al analysis of youth in society" are presented. M. Maxfield.