Abstract

HENAO ESCOVAR, Juanita  and  PINILLA, Victoria Eugenia. Youths and citizenships in Colombia: between social politicization and institutional participation. Rev.latinoam.cienc.soc.niñez juv [online]. 2009, vol.7, n.2, suppl.1, pp.1405-1437. ISSN 1692-715X.

This article presents some of the results from the research project on Juvenile Practices as Citizenship Expressions that was conducted in three Colombian cities. The qualitative method was used along with ethnographic approaching strategies with discursive and narrative analysis. This study aimed at understanding the citizen practices of 18 collectives. In the light of a series of theoretical considerations on citizenship, this article specifically describes the linking and coexistence forms existing in the juvenile groupings as well as the way they relate to the State, taking into consideration the discourses and collective identities mediating in these relations. The main conclusion is that the linking and coexistence ways of juvenile groupings are contributing to the construction of "community" and to the strengthening of civil society, that the linking to the collective contributes to the development of the youths' citizen identity and their participation in public matters. The article also states that in the way to interact with the State, a tendency to social politicization as well as to participation through democratic institutions can be detected, which, as a whole, can contribute to the democratization of the country.

Keywords : juvenile practices; citizenship; links; citizen identity; participation; State; civil society.

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