"Woodman and Wyn have produced a text that offers conceptual clarity and real depth on debates in youth studies.  The authors skilfully guide us through the main sociological theories on young people and furnish us with sophisticated critiques from which to rethink youth and generation in the contemporary moment."
- Professor Anoop Nayak, Newcastle University

The promise of youth studies is not in simply showing that class, gender and race continue to influence life chances, but to show how they shape young lives today. Dan Woodman and Johanna Wyn argue that understanding new forms of inequality in a context of increasing social change is a central challenge for youth researchers.

Youth and Generation sets an agenda for youth studies building on the concepts of ‘social generation’ and ‘individualisation’ to suggest a framework for thinking about change and inequality in young lives in the emerging Asian Century.

Chapter 1: Continuity and Change
Individualisation
Generation
New Life Patterns
Structure of the Book
Chapter 2: Global Change and Inequality
Education, Urbanisation and Employment
Inequality
Australia in a Changing World
The Failure of the Neoliberal Promise
Theory in Youth Studies
Chapter 3: Individualisation
Understanding Changing Patterns
Bringing Zombie Categories Back to Life
The Creation of the Choice Biography
Holding Lives Together
Researching the Making of Inequality in New Times
Chapter 4: Generations
The Emergence and Marginalisation of the Sociology of Generations
What is a Generation?
Intergenerational Relationships
When does a Generation Emerge?
Chapter 5: Transitions
Youth Transitions and Development
Transition Regimes and the Making of a Generations
Research and Reflexivity
Chapter 6: Cultures
Concepts of Subculture
Post-subcultures
Continuity and Change in Cultures Research
Generational Change, Cultures and Divisions
Blurring Boundaries
Chapter 7: Time
Social Change and Synchronisation
Sociality and the Digital Revolution
Time, Youth Cultures and Inequality
The Present, Past and Future
Chapter 8: Place
The Invisibility of Place
Theorising Young People and Place
Mobilities, Cultures and Place
Making Place Visible
Place and Global Generations
Young People Making a Place for Themselves
Chapter 9: Conclusion
Generations, Transitions, Cultures
Time, Place and the Future