Youth Participation and Democracy - by Eeva Luhtakallio & Veikko Eranti

Book Synopsis

How do young people participate in democratic societies? This book introduces the concept of 'doing society' as a new theory of political action. Focused on Finnish youth, it innovatively blends cutting-edge empirical research with agenda-setting theoretical development. Redefining political action, the authors expand beyond traditional public-sphere, scaling from formal to informal and unconventional modes of engaging.

The book captures diverse engagement from memes to social movements, from participatory budgeting to street parties and from sleek politicians to detached people in the margins. In doing so, it provides a holistic view of the ways in which young people participate (or do not participate) in society, and their role in cultural change.

Review Quotes

"A pathbreaking study that charts remarkable changes in how young people are engaging in democratic political life. A must-read for its profoundly important lessons for scholarship and activism." Kathleen Blee, University of Pittsburgh

"An original contribution to understanding youth participation in doing society, through an extended individualism that is caught between the potentialities of new forms of coordination and ubiquitous risks of burnout." Laura Centemeri, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

About the Author

Eeva Luhtakallio is Professor of Sociology at the University of Helsinki.

Veikko Eranti is Assistant Professor of Urban Sociology at the University of Helsinki.