ABSTRACT

This collection has focussed on how scholars have engaged with belonging as a discursive and complex process, heavily influenced by history and surroundings. The contributors to the collection have concentrated on how belonging has been operationalised. Each author uses theories associated with belonging to interrogate empirical data of youth living and learning in diverse contexts. The concluding chapter identifies three main overlapping themes related to the study of belonging, youth and identity: belonging as an agentic identity practice, belonging and the importance of place and belonging as negotiated. Looking across the collection, the editors focus on synthesising some commonalities as well as highlighting different approaches currently shaping theoretical approaches to belonging.