ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of the book. The book offers a corrective to previous thinking about youth ethnic identities in three ways. First, theoretically, it seeks to transcend the traditional taken-for-granted assumption of ethnic identities as primary categories of identification. Second, by selecting chapters by scholars with intimate knowledge of their local fields. Finally, empirically, the book examines an understudied yet critical population: youth in Europe's 'periphery', about which very little is known. The book reviews literature on ethnic identity questions, summarizing the main debates and rejecting the tendency to take ethnic categories for granted. It discusses traditional approaches to studying ethnicity methodologically, highlighting the necessity of ethnographic and interview-based 'bottom up' approaches. The book focuses on youth socialization processes, exploring the ways in which youth across Europe are different from their preceding cohorts; as well as the particularities of Southeast European youth.