Youth Cultures, Participation and Civil Society

1. Youth Cultures, Participation and Civil Society 5th History of Youth Work in Europe Seminar:“Autonomy Through Dependency. Histories of Co-operation, Conflict and Innovation in Youth Work” Input for workshop: Histories of Innovation - Determinants of Renewal and Deterioration10 June 2014 Finnish Youth Research SocietyEspoo, Finland Prof. Dr. Christian Spatscheck Hochschule Bremen, School ofSocial Work

2. What are Youth Cultures? Youthculture • Aestethic cultures of adolescents / young adults • Difference to adults Culture • „way of life“ • socio-aesthetical systems Created by young people connected to:-music -fashion -media -design -spaces -language -body -drugs -etc. Regulierter Kapitalismus Neoliberalismus Title Subtitle

3. What are Youth Cultures? Many types Wandervögel Edelweißpiraten Swing Kids Regulierter Kapitalismus Neoliberalismus Mods Rock‘n‘Roll Beat Hippies Metal Skinheads Punk Reggae Gothics New Wave Hardcore HipHop Skater Gamer Techno Emo Indie Jesus Freaks Grunge Street Art Visual Key Hipster

4. What are Youth Cultures? …and certain reactions high hopes Moral panics Regulierter Kapitalismus Neoliberalismus integration control New laws pedagogy Youth work Strict rules education information Supervised meeting places campaigns concentration camps Bans/prohibition filters Boot camps prison advice

5. Youth cultures and youth as a life phase Regulierter Kapitalismus Neoliberalismus

6. Youth as Life Phase Individual development • Becoming a responsible subject- Developmental tasks- Coping of challenges Social roles and tasks • How to become a citizen, economic subject, familiy founder, rational actor, etc. Youth as a “second chance“ (Böhnisch):- “Bildung“ as active process with chances - Acquirement: “To make this world mine“ - What are my needs - Habitus can be enhanced Regulierter Kapitalismus Neoliberalismus Title Subtitle

7. Youth Cultures offer potentials Peer group cultures • Own spaces without adults- Beyond hegemonial cultures- New creations / alternatives Giving voice • Own ideas about race, class, gender, queer, media, drugs, sexuality, consumerism, politics, fun, ecology, free speech, … Popular everyday cultures (Williams/Hoggart) • „Subversion through style“ and symbols (Hebdige) • Challenging Hegemony and class Acquirement through „bricolage“Youth Cultures as „leisure scenes“ - Searching the „good life“ Habitus • Youth cultures as sources for capital Regulierter Kapitalismus Neoliberalismus Title Subtitle

8. … but is it about participation? Regulierter Kapitalismus Neoliberalismus

9. Participation - Understanding Participation The active involvement of:- citizens in the treatment of common (political) affairs - members of organisations, groups, associations, etc. in the treatment of common affairs. Specification 1): Taking actively part in political decision-making, especially through elections and referendums. Specification 2): In a legal sense: taking actively part in administrative decisions. Federal Agency of Civic Education Germany (bpb) Regulierter Kapitalismus Neoliberalismus Title Subtitle

10. Whereparticipationthrough youth cultures is supported Finding your voice What do I want?- What do we want?Acquire conditions of life • Making things mine- Self organisation- Finding resonanceCitizenship education • Informal approaches- From teaching citizenship to learning democracy (Biesta) Youth cultures provide spaces for peer group culture- recognition and protection- experiments- public spaces Agora: Public debates beyond the „post-politics“- Dare the political and the conflict, controversy and debate- Queer, marginal and extreme positionsYouth cultures demand recognition and participation- Protest and Dissent- Open and spontaneous participation- Formal forms of participation Regulierter Kapitalismus Neoliberalismus Title Subtitle

11. Whereparticipationthroughyouthcultures is not supported Informal participation- Does it lead to real participation in organisations and more political representation? Formal participation - Not all are citizens or members-“The superfluous“ areforgottenVanishing “moratorium”- No more protected spaces- Full risks of life- No room for experiments Participation for by-standers- Youth as decorative ornament- Youth as value in society but forgotten group Recognised, but standing alone- Is there such a thing as youth policy?- Do we have a subject oriented social pedagogy?- Can we offer real perspectives? Regulierter Kapitalismus Neoliberalismus Title Subtitle

12. Youth culturesand civil society – a task for „good“ governance Regulierter Kapitalismus Neoliberalismus

13. Social Pedagogy – Lifeworld-Orientation What does lifeworld-orientation mean? (H. Thiersch / L. Böhnisch/ A. Schütz): - Leading of life: Individual perspectives within socialcontexts • Life-World and System: Different, but mutually connected (Habermas) • TheSocio-political question: No social pedagogy without the socio-political question (Böhnisch) • The Republican element: The political as constitutive element of negotiation in an active civil society Regulierter Kapitalismus Neoliberalismus

14. Youth Cultures and civil society – „good goverance“ State and market need personal and civic engagement - Civil Society- Active citizenshipState and market need legitimation- Democratic control / Participation- Protection / recognition for citizensPolitics: welfare + recognition- Participation / Citizenship- Positive life conditions- Bildung / Life-world orientation associations Regulierter Kapitalismus Neoliberalismus state market primary networks Title Subtitle Source: Sectors and logics of functions of political contoll; Roß/Rieger 2013

15. Thank you for your attention

16. ______________________________________________Prof. Dr. Christian SpatscheckHochschule Bremen Faculty of Social SciencesNeustadtswall 3028199 Bremen, Germany0049 421 5905-2762christian.spatscheck@hs-bremen.dewww.christian-spatscheck.de

17. Useful References: • Biesta, G. 2011: Learning Democracy in School and Society. Rotterdam. • Deinet, U. (ed.) 2009: Methodenbuch Sozialraum. Wiesbaden. • Deinet, U. / Reutlinger, C. (eds.) (2004): 'Aneignung' als Bildungskonzept der Sozialpädagogik. Wiesbaden. -Grunwald, K. / Thiersch, H. 2009: The Concept of the 'Lifeworld Orientation' for Social Work and Social Care'. In: Journal of Social Work Practice (23), 131-146. • Kessl, F. / Reutlinger, C. (2007): Sozialraum. Eine Einführung. Wiesbaden. -Spatscheck, Christian (2012): Society and Youth Cultures - Interpretations and Conclusions for Youth Work.  In: Coussee, Filip/ Williamson, Howard/ Verschelden, Griet (eds.): The History of Youth Work in Europe. Relevance for Youth work Policy (Volume 3). Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg, S. 141-153. -Spatscheck, C. (2012): Socio-spatial Approaches to Social Work. In: Social Work & Society, Vol. 10, Issue 1. - Spatscheck, Christian (2013): Jugendkulturelle Praxen. In: Deinet, Ulrich/Sturzenhecker, Benedikt (Hrsg.): Handbuch Offene Kinder- und Jugendarbeit, Springer VS, 4., üb. Auflage, S 173-176. • Spatscheck, C./ Wolf-Ostermann, K. 2009: Social Space Analyses and the Socio-Spatial Paradigm in Social Work. Working Paper 2009-1, School of Social Work, Lund University. • Thiersch, H. 2011: Lebensweltorientierung. In: Otto, H. U./Thiersch, H. (eds.): Handbuch Sozialarbeit/Sozialpädagogik. Online Journal: www.infed.org