“Not something we’re new to, it’s something we grew to . . .”: youth, identification and alliance

This chapter discusses the nature of adolescent identities in the ethni­ cally mixed neighbourhood of Southgate. I argue that young people are involved in interesting and innovative dialogues within the school playgrounds, youth clubs and street corners where they come to know themselves and each other. I challenge van Dijk’s (1987: 383) asser­ tion that, within multiracial contexts, people learn about “others” via mediating texts and stereotypes and I suggest that, although stere­ otypes are available to young people, they are not used in any crude sense.