Researching Youth on the Move: Methods, Ethics and Emotions

Dear Colleagues,

The sociology of the youth and youth cultures has left its youthful stage and has entered a phase of maturity. Since the mid-20th century, the youth in general, and youth cultures as an expression of identity that goes beyond the age group, have been studied as a metaphor for social change, the condensed image of a post-industrial society in transformation. During the first quarter of the 21st century, the digital world has been incorporated as a space for cultural expression and creativity, in which young people act as the vanguard of technological, social and mental transformations that are then transferred to the whole social body. Today, new generations of researchers from different social science fields (sociology, anthropology, social psychology, communication, education, etc.) are exploring youth cultures as a privileged research laboratory, where they can listen to emerging social trends. Nevertheless, research on youth implies important methodological and ethical challenges that are comparatively less shared and discussed. The field of methodology in youth research is still in need of improvement, development and critical reflections.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to compile the results of recent research on youth and youth cultures, from the perspective of the "toolbox" used and reflections on research methodologies and techniques, whether qualitative, quantitative or mixed. It also will collect articles on ethics protocols and emotional involvement in fieldwork research with young people.

Studies and reflections on the following topics are welcomed:

• Innovative methodologies applied to youth studies;
• Participatory action research;
• Comparative studies at the transnational level;
• Metaethnography;
• Autoethnography and autobiography;
• Youth cultures and big data;
• The transfer of research in youth: observatories, laboratories, activities;
• Ethics in youth research;
• Emotional involvement in fieldwork research with young people.

Prof. Dr. Carles Feixa
Dr. Nele Hansen
Guest Editors

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• youth
• youth cultures
• participatory research
• methodology
• techniques
• ethnography
• meta-ethnography
• life stories
• ethics
• emotions