Youth, otherness and the plural city : modes of belonging and social life

Why is it that youth of ethnic minority backgrounds share certain characteristics across nation-state borders? And, what are the dynamics of identity work that urge them to search for belonging in various urban social settings? These are among the questions that this book on youth of ethnic minority background in western nation states set fore to answer. From adherents of reggae sound system cultures in London to young girls reinventing Islamic belonging in Oslo, the book covers different situations among ethnic minority youth in the UK, Australia, France, and the Scandinavian countries. The theme of this book is of specific relevance in the heated discussions of terrorism and reasons for recruitment to terrorism following the London bombings in July 2005. Along with elaborate theoretical discussions on culture, identity, religion, racism and hybridity, the essays of this book are all based in empirical case-studies from different western urban sites. The empirical groundedness of the analytical discussions of this book makes it unique in the broader theoretical literature on ethnic minority, youth, and identities.