The ‘Lost Generation’ and Its Political Discontents: Age-related Divides in Southern Europe after the Crisis

Abstract

Although public discussion about the economic crisis of the late 2000s to mid-2010s in Southern Europe often refers to its impact on the region’s younger citizens, not enough attention has been given to the political consequences of the crisis on the young. Focusing on the cases of Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, this introduction to the special issue on age-related rifts in post-crisis Southern Europe offers an overview of the contributions and an initial answer to the question: to what extent and in what areas can one talk about an emergent generational divide in the region? Findings point to some tangible but uneven effects of the crisis across the four countries, mostly in the sense of accentuating pre-existing contrasts.