This book draws on ethnographic research across multiple European contexts to explore how young people navigate their complex positioning in society today. At a time when environmental disaster, health crises, economic instability, and ongoing conflicts compete for urgency in our collective concerns, young people find themselves simultaneously portrayed as symbols of societal problems and repositories of hope for the future. Through rich ethnographic data, the book examines the shared experiences of European youth as they confront negative everyday representations while negotiating the complex power relations that perpetuate cycles of misrepresentation, stigmatization, and misrecognition. The research reveals how these processes ultimately compound young people's exclusion from equal participation in social life, offering critical insights into youth perspectives on their paradoxical social positioning.

Spanning the fields of youth studies, sociology, cultural studies, political science, and critical theory, this volume speaks to scholars, educators, policymakers, and practitioners working with young people. The interdisciplinary approach makes it valuable for undergraduate and graduate courses in social sciences, while also serving as an essential resource for youth workers, community organizers, and anyone committed to understanding and addressing the structural challenges facing contemporary youth.

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Youth Studies.