Representing, reproducing, and reconfiguring the nation: Geographies of youth citizenship and devolution

Abstract

While children’s geographers have showcased the diverse political engagements of young people at the local and global scale – not least in this volume – less attention has perhaps been directed to those at the national scale. Furthermore, in a UK context, devolution is having an increasingly important role in shaping young people’s everyday lives. This chapter highlights how the practices and performances of youth citizenship “take place” within shifting policy landscapes and understandings of national identity. Overall, the chapter reviews literature and current debates on “representing and reproducing the nation” and “national identities and devolution” within political geography and asks what these mightmean for those who study the everyday lifeworlds of children and young people. It also highlights some key studies in children’s geographies and the socia sciences that engage with ideas of national identity. Finally, the chapter provides two brief examples of current research projects that engage with youth citizenship, national identity, and the “political” in the context of UK devolution.