ABSTRACT
The transition from childhood to adulthood is a difficult period for both children and parents and represents a key stage in the life course. Although there is some literature on life course transitions in an historical perspective,1 and especially on the process of leaving home in the past,2 rather less attention has been given to historical studies o f the action spaces and visibility of young people in urban areas. It can be suggested that the transition from childhood to adulthood is a period when youths (both male and female) frequently congregate in public places, when they are seeking to shake off the constraints of home, but do not yet feel comfortable either alone or in spaces mainly inhabited by adults. Large groups of young people in urban areas can provide security for group members, but may be perceived as threatening by others. It is likely that young people have always been highly visible in urban areas, but we know relatively little about how the use of urban space by young people has changed over time. In North America and elsewhere the street
1 J. Modell, F. Fursenburg and T. Hershberg, ‘Social change and transitions to adulthood in historical perspective’, Journal o f Family History, 1 (1970), 7-32; T. Haraven, ed., Transitions: the family and life course in historical perspective (New York, 1978); T. Haraven and K. Masoka, ‘Turning points and transitions: perceptions of the life course’, Journal o f Family History, 13 (1988), 271-89.
