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Youth Activism in Political Squats between Centri Sociali and Case Occupate

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  • Carlo Genova

    (Department of Cultures, Politics and Society, University of Turin, ‎10153 Turin, Italy)

Abstract

Nowadays a lot of research describes most young people as barely interested in politics, expressing little trust in political institutions and far from any forms of institutional political participation. Moreover, most of the engaged youth are involved in forms of participation described as more civic and social than political, weakly ideological, more and more often digital and developed in virtual space, and usually experienced as one among several components of everyday personal lives. The article explores youth activism in political squats because it is a form of participation which, in countertendency, is political and radical in its aims and strategies, explicitly ideologically inspired, strongly rooted in physical places, and often quite central in everyday personal lives. The text is based on research conducted in the city of Turin (Italy) by means of qualitative interviews, participant observation and document analysis. Four main interconnected thematic dimensions are considered: Individuals’ biographical paths and meanings of activism; distinctive lifestyles and cultural sensitivities among the activists; collective narratives about contemporary society and possibilities of social change; patterns of intervention and forms of organization. On the basis of these analyses, the article maintains that this form of activism can be usefully interpreted as a real lifestyle, which has an explicit and intense political sense, but which young activists also connect with a much wider, more differentiated set of meanings.

Suggested Citation

  • Carlo Genova, 2018. "Youth Activism in Political Squats between Centri Sociali and Case Occupate," Societies, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-25, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:8:y:2018:i:3:p:77-:d:167967
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Carolina Jardim & Sofia Marques da Silva, 2018. "Young People Engaging in Volunteering: Questioning a Generational Trend in an Individualized Society," Societies, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-11, January.
    2. Matt Henn & Mark Weinstein & Sarah Forrest, 2005. "Uninterested Youth? Young People's Attitudes towards Party Politics in Britain," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 53(3), pages 556-578, October.
    3. Georgios Kyroglou & Matt Henn, 2017. "Political Consumerism as a Neoliberal Response to Youth Political Disengagement," Societies, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-16, December.
    4. James Hart & Matt Henn, 2017. "Neoliberalism and the Unfolding Patterns of Young People’s Political Engagement and Political Participation in Contemporary Britain," Societies, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-19, November.
    5. Matt Henn & Mark Weinstein & Sarah Forrest, 2005. "Uninterested Youth? Young People's Attitudes towards Party Politics in Britain," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 53, pages 556-578, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Matteo Di Placido, 2019. "Between Pleasure and Resistance: The Role of Substance Consumption in an Italian Working-Class Subculture," Societies, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-21, August.
    2. Hank Johnston, 2019. "The Elephant in the Room: Youth, Cognition, and Student Groups in Mass Social Movements," Societies, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-19, August.
    3. Carlo Genova, 2020. "Participation with Style. Clothing among Young Activists in Political Groups," Societies, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-22, July.

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