Resumo

MALFITANO, Ana Paula Serrata. Contemporaneity and youth: between autonomy and protection. Etnográfica [online]. 2011, vol.15, n.3, pp.523-542. ISSN 0873-6561.

Youth, characterized as a plural and emerging social group, has been increasingly present in public debates and actions globally. However, young people from popular classes are predominantly being regarded though a homogenising perspective as a “political problem”, leading to the development of disciplinary intervention and control. Such interventions struggle with the legal, cultural and social constitution of youth, questioning who should be the youngsters under protection and guardianship, and which ones should have the freedom and autonomy to decide about their lives. Social services targeted to this population do intend to promote their autonomy. Based on ethnographic work, done for four years with social institutions and young people who attended them, the article presents the life story of a young man on the threshold to adult life, understanding the passage to adulthood as a critical event of social suffering. We emphasize the access gained, in his itinerary, to social and economic autonomy, but this case is presented as an exception, given the actual narrow effects of the actions of social services regarding young people of lower-class groups.

Palavras-chave : youth; autonomy; guardianship; social institutions.

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