Youth and the City in the Global South

The innovative, multi-site Youth and the City Project examined the effects of globalization and neoliberalism on the everyday experiences and future prospects of urban youth in the developing world. The economic and demographic trends that are transforming cities and widening the gap between North and South are also making it increasingly difficult, if not impossible, for young people to establish themselves as independent, self-sufficient adults in many parts of the world. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Brazil, Vietnam, and Zambia, this volume integrates youth studies with urban studies, and argues that youth is an experience in its own right, not merely a transition from childhood to adulthood. In-depth case studies in three cities--Recife, Hanoi, and Lusaka--offer compelling insights into the situation of urban youth, exploring how they use their city, spend their time, and prepare themselves for the future.

Cross-cutting essays examine how education shapes future citizens, young people's use of urban domestic space, and the media's role in expanding the life worlds of youth.

This work offers a rich opportunity to witness the dynamics of youth development amid the tumult of poverty, hunger, crime, and desperation in various global communities. Along with a variety of researchers, anthropologist Hansen (Northwestern Univ.) illuminates the difficulties of growing up in the cities of Recife, in Brazil; Hanoi; and Lusaka, in Zambia. Youth face a multitude of poor choices and social impediments within their communities. However, Hansen and her colleagues also focus on the power of cultural nuances and messages that emerge within these communities. Further, the text shows how youth foster meaning in their lives to ensure that they utilize education, the political arena, and even the media in the most appropriate ways for them. While there are many uses for this text, Hansen's collaboration is best suited for library collections focusing on international human rights and youth. Summing Up: Recommended. General and graduate collections. --CHOICED. E. Kelly, Adelphi University, July 2009 Indiana University Press Indiana University Press

"The participants in this project issued themselves quite a challenge in bringing the results of a large study together in a book form. Given the task, they did admirably." --Ethnos

"... an important volume that demonstrates the value of multi-sited collaborative research." --DANIEL MAINS, Washington University in St. Louis, Social Anthropology, Vol. 17.3 2009

Innovative new research on globalization's impact on urban youth

Karen Tranberg Hansen is Professor of Anthropology at Northwestern University. Her books include Salaula: The World of Secondhand Clothing and Zambia.

Acknowledgments

Part 1. Situating Youth in the City

1. Introduction: Youth and the City Karen Tranberg Hansen

2. Youth across the Globe: Comparison, Interdisciplinarity, and Cross-National Collaboration Anne Line Dalsgaard and Karen Valentin

Part 2. Studying Youth in Cities

3. Dominant Ideas, Uncertain Lives: The Meaning of Youth in Recife Anne Line Dalsgaard, Mónica Franch, and Russell Parry Scott

4. Politicized Leisure in the Wake of Doi Moi: A Study of Youth in Hanoi Karen Valentin

5. Localities and Sites of Youth Agency in Lusaka Karen Tranberg Hansen

Part 3. Youth Making Meaning

6. Youth and the Home Katherine V. Gough

7. Toward Eduscapes: Youth and Schooling in a Global Era Ulla Ambrosius Madsen

8. The Work of the Imagination: Young People's Media Appropriation Norbert Wildermuth

9. Conclusion: Urban Youth in a Global World Karen Tranberg Hansen

Index