Theorizing Contemporary Youth Dynamics in India: Insights and Debates

Abstract

The paper addresses the complexities involved in defining youth, examining the works of various scholars and reports in youth studies to identify connections between youth studies and sociology. Then, the paper shows that collaborating with the category of youth and the discipline of sociology helps to draw on the behaviour of youth to produce insights into social life in general. The paper begins by examining the concept of youth within the social sciences and highlights its importance in deepening the understanding of sociology. It further analyses the relevance of youth as a sociological concept, exploring how the idea of youth varies across different cultures. Over time, the boundaries of the youth category have expanded and contracted to include a broader range of age groups. Additionally, the contextualisation of youth studies is discussed in the paper. Youth studies in social sciences have contextualised and shifted their focus over time. Additionally, the paper discusses the youth issues in rural studies. The study of youth within rural contexts focuses on identifying settings and opportunities where transformation and emerging social aspirations can be clearly observed. For Indian youth, education continues to serve as a key avenue for fulfilling these aspirations.