Revisiting the youth corridor: from classical through post-modern to late-modern sociology

This paper makes a critical appraisal of the contemporary sociological conceptualisations around the study of social transformations and youth transitions. It is argued that new theoretical positions, mnemonically indicated by the prefixes post, reflexive, late, and liquid, tend to challenge the adequacy of classical notions about ‘youth’ as a transitional phase of life, and life-course as a series of stages, linear, cumulative, and non-reversible. Conversely, the post/late variety theories draw upon flexibility, diversity and communication, decentralisation, internationalisation, and de-traditionalisation, reflexivity and individualisation. By repercussion, the ‘take-off’ from childhood to adulthood is increasingly understood as non-linear and heterogeneous. Indeed, youth is conceptualised as one identity amongst many, which may be adopted or dropped at will – something highly contested and fluid, rather than static and given. This paper is divided into seven sections. It begins by considering the literature on classical conceptions of youth transition, and then moves on to post-modern social theory and youth identity. The third section examines reflexive/late-modernisation and transition to adulthood. The fourth section explores the socio-economic terrain of contemporary young people through the lens of global perspective. The fifth section analyses a tendency of returning to a classical sociological toolbox in youth research. The sixth section takes on Bourdieu's key arguments on habitus and social reproduction, and the last section develops the concluding arguments.