The study deals with teenagers spontaneous friendships as an inclusionary resource. The premise is that friendship is not only a private relationship but corresponds to broader communal and societal relations. The study asks whether teenagers marginalisation and social exclusion can be prevented by recognising, mobilising and focusing their friendships.
Background
The study consists of three parts: 1) a structural profile of teenagers friendships and social support networks produced by network maps, 2) interviews with and observations of 1316yearolds about the meanings and practices of their friendships and related visual data, and 3) interviews about and observations of the negotiations on friendships that take place between teenagers and adults at a school and other public venues.
Goal
The study advances the scientific debate on resources in everyday life, the interaction between private and collective relationships, and the institutional conditions of teenagers independent practices. It is also useful for practitioners and decision-makers who deal with teenagers risk of marginalisation.
Funding source
Academy of Finland
Contact persons
Riikka Korkiamäki
Postdoctoral Researcher
riikka.korkiamaki [at] uta.fi
+358 50 433 6299
