Supporting oneself: The tensions of navigating a prolonged crisis among Spanish youth
Spanish youth’s process of transition to adult life illustrates the complex effects of a prolonged economic crisis that emerged in 2008 and exacerbated an already precarious labour market. In this article, we approach this panorama of social change from the perspective of the young individuals who f...
| Autores: | , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2022 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia |
| Repositorio: | e-spacio. Repositorio Institucional de la UNED |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:e-spacio.uned.es:20.500.14468/31084 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14468/31084 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | 6309 Grupos Sociales Agency Individualisation Individualism Supports Vulnerability Youth Agentivité Jeunes Individualisme Soutiens Vulnérabilité Agencia Soportes Individualismo Individualización Juventud Vulnerabilidad |
| Sumario: | Spanish youth’s process of transition to adult life illustrates the complex effects of a prolonged economic crisis that emerged in 2008 and exacerbated an already precarious labour market. In this article, we approach this panorama of social change from the perspective of the young individuals who find themselves immersed in this passage from one crisis to another – from a global economic crisis to COVID-19 – and between two symbolic realities, one marked by individualism and the other by individualisation. Based on a discourse analysis of 20 in-depth interviews and three focus groups with young adults, conducted between 2018 and 2019 for a publicly funded RDI project, we analyse how the process of individualisation tied to a self-sufficient model of human agency may contribute to an increased reliance on individual solutions to social problems. Furthermore, we underline how these individualised pathways involve a dependency on multiple supports which are characterised by a series of tensions. Consequently, we seek to elucidate the manner in which vulnerable young workers navigate, both interpretively and practically, the trials of social life as well as the expectations associated with individualism/individualisation within a context of crisis and uncertainty. |
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