Youth Negotiating Belonging in a Global World

Young people are often astute in the diverse ways in which they resist and challenge assumptions and obstacles. We think it is necessary to champion young people’s energy, creativity and sense of social justice. In this introductory chapter to an edited collection on the themes of identities, youth and belonging, we highlight the reasons we believe it is important to investigate the ways that young people construct meaningful identities for themselves in distinct contexts—for example in educational institutions, in places of worship, in virtual environments, or in the street and in spaces of consumption. We argue that international work is necessary when theorising and reporting on empirical case studies about young people, place and space. We also provide a brief introduction to the international chapters we have collated in this significant and timely book that gives readers an insight into what it means to be a young person in urban locales in contemporary times.