The habitus of activism: How European students engage with social change

Abstract

Across Europe many young people are turning to activism to express their socio-political desires. Using Bourdieu’s theory of habitus, understood as a system of dispositions toward specific practices and a basis for certain modes of behaviour; this study examines young people’s perceptions of activism in three European settings. Based on thematic analysis of 83 discussion groups conducted with secondary school students in Italy, Germany, and Poland, we seek to understand whether and in what ways activism is embedded within young people’s habitus and how variations in national European contexts influence activist habitus among European youth. Our findings show how activism has become increasingly seen as a normalised and accessible practice embedded in youth daily life; and reframes youth activism as a lasting, embedded aspect of youth identity and behaviour rather than a temporary response to immediate crisis.