This PhD project examines how young people experience and negotiate identity and belonging in their everyday lives, in the face of stigma and societal perceptions.
Larger societal structures and dominant discourses about disadvantaged areas contribute to shaping perceptions of certain groups of young people as “at-risk” or in danger of “social exclusion”.
These categories are constructed and reinforced through institutional practices, media, and narratives about what is considered legitimate communities, ways of living, and life trajectories.
How do young people balance these societal perceptions with their own experiences and self-understandings? This project explores how public discourses are present in young people’s everyday lives in complex ways, not just as something they react to, but as part of their daily experiences and meaning-making processes.
The sample consists of young people aged 14 to 16 who share the experience of growing up or attending school in an area often described in problem-focused terms. While much previous research has concentrated on young people in various districts of Oslo, this project shifts attention to the high-rise neighbourhood of Fjell in Drammen, shedding light on different – yet also similar – narratives.
The project follows a qualitative, exploratory approach, with participant observation, interviews, and creative methods where participants actively contribute through storytelling formats inspired by contemporary media culture.
A key objective is to contribute to more nuanced public discussions surrounding upbringing in disadvantaged areas and to challenge simplified understandings of social exclusion and at-risk youth.
