A Longitudinal Analysis of Belonging

Abstract

This article looks at how young people construct belonging over time in rural places in Australia. It draws on the intersecting ideas of theorists and youth researchers whose work supports the view that in order to understand young people’s lives, we need to seek a thicker, richer conception of the interplay among identity, place, mobility and performativity. We illustrate our argument using data from a two-decade longitudinal study of young Australians to provide a more nuanced understanding of place and belonging in rural settings. A longitudinal gaze over the lives of members of this generation alerts us to the manifold transitions and forms of making a life that are patiently constructed over time and through non-spectacular routine practices. The article contributes to a more robust spatialized sociology of youth by rendering visible the complex and intersecting registers of subjective and structural elements in young lives over time.

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