May 31, 7:30 pm
Youth culture flourishes in the most diverse ways, and yet it is impossible to imagine any big city without it: skaters ripping across the public squares and along the pedestals of monuments; exercisers in athletic gear at the sports halls; would-be fashion plates hanging around the clubs or out on the town; musicians squatting in former factories; or the hipsters in their tiny underground clubs. Why is it that the young generation is drawn to the same kind of spaces? How can these places be used to construct and support the youth scenes in the city? What do these sites mean for the youngest generation, with whom are they prepared to share this space, and from what are they willing to defend it? This lecture by youth culture expert Elena Omelshenko will survey a history of research into youth culture, as seen through its appearance within the urban fabric. Additionally, Omelshenko will present the latest findings of the Center for Youth Studies’s research project, Fields of Positive Interethnic Interactions and Youth Cultural Scenes in Russian Cities, which looked at youth in four regions of Russia.
Elena Omelchenko is a doctor of Social Sciences, the Director of the Center for Youth Studies and a professor at the Higher School of Economics.
This lecture is organized in collaboration with the Higher School of Economics in St Petersburg.
Admission is free of charge. The number of participants is limited. Please register in advance.
The Higher School of Economics has prepared a series of multidisciplinary lectures that seek to offer the general public a fresh perspective on the social phenomena and processes that we encounter every day. Leading Russian and international social scientists will use non-intuitive examples and innovative methods to show the audience just how the world in which we are living is changing before our very eyes. The speakers will present new readings on everyday phenomena, sharing recent research findings from the last 2-3 years, as well as their own personal methodologies. Each lecture offers its own introduction to the social sciences. The course is divided into three thematic blocks: Everyday Life, Culture and Big Data and New Technologies.
