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Young People’s Aspirations in an Uncertain World: Taking Control of the Future?

Author

Listed:
  • Nicola Ansell

    (Brunel University London, UK)

  • Peggy Froerer

    (Brunel University London, UK)

  • Roy Huijsmans

    (Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands)

Abstract

The future for young people worldwide is characterised by multiple uncertainties, particularly perhaps in countries of the Global South. There is a growing and pervasive expectation that these uncertainties need to be responded to, both by institutions and individuals, so that young people are prepared for an unpredictable and changing world. ‘Raising aspirations’ is expected to play an instrumental role in preparing young people to confront a constantly changing world. Of the four articles that constitute this special section, two explore institutional efforts to shape young people’s aspirations to build new kinds of (national and individual) future, while the other two focus on the messier, more fluid ways in which young people reorient themselves in relation to unpredictable events. Together, they highlight how interventions designed to produce flexible creative individuals largely ignore how young people already live their lives in responsive and creative ways.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicola Ansell & Peggy Froerer & Roy Huijsmans, 2022. "Young People’s Aspirations in an Uncertain World: Taking Control of the Future?," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 27(4), pages 795-802, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:27:y:2022:i:4:p:795-802
    DOI: 10.1177/13607804221133116
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Vicky Johnson & Andy West, 2022. "Youth Shifting Identities, Moving Aspirations, Changing Social Norms, and Positive Uncertainty in Ethiopia and Nepal," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 27(4), pages 861-877, December.
    2. Roy Huijsmans & Nicola Ansell & Peggy Froerer, 2021. "Introduction: Development, Young People, and the Social Production of Aspirations," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(1), pages 1-15, February.
    3. Naomi Stapele, 2021. "‘When the Numbers Stop Adding’: Imagining Futures in Perilous Presents Among Youth in Nairobi Ghettos," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 33(1), pages 130-146, February.
    4. Catherine Dolan & Dinah Rajak, 2016. "Remaking Africa’s Informal Economies: Youth, Entrepreneurship and the Promise of Inclusion at the Bottom of the Pyramid," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(4), pages 514-529, April.
    5. Johanna A. Offe, 2001. ""Smart guys plan for the future!" Cultural concepts of time and the prevention of AIDS in Africa," Africa Spectrum, Institute of African Affairs, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, vol. 36(1), pages 53-72.
    6. Peggy Froerer, 2011. "Education, Inequality and Social Mobility in Central India," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 23(5), pages 695-711, December.
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