Critical Youth Studies: A Canadian Focus

Sociology of Adolescence is a second- or third-year course, examining the social definitions of adolescence in cross-cultural and historical perspectives. 

In their previous examination of the Sociology of Adolescence in a book titled, Generation On Hold (1994), the authors observed the increasingly prolonged transitional period between the dependency of childhood and the independence of adulthood caused by diminished workplace opportunities.

Critical Youth Studies now expands upon that topic using clear evidence of this trend and its troubling consequences. Not only in Canada, but also in virtually every advanced industrialized country in the world, the full cohort transition now spans the ages of 15 to 30. Young people constitute a disadvantaged group in need of special academic and policy attention, whether they go on to higher education or complete high school or less.

What lies behind the growing inequalities among age cohorts? Should it be taken for granted as the “new normal”? This book presents a focused argument that challenges complacency and provides a model for critical thinking on these issues.