The things children say: young people and violence.

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Francis, SD, 2019. The things children say: young people and violence. PhD, Nottingham Trent University.

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Abstract

Building on a growing body of research linking youth culture with violence and theoretical frameworks, this present thesis extends this framework to include the somewhat ‘ignored’ voices of young people and their perspectives and opinions about violence. By using secondary data, although it is clear to see that the number of first-time entrants has fallen by 85% over the last 10 years, and by 11% in the last year within the Youth Justice System (YJS); violence among young people has been of growing concern and remains to be one of the highest crime types in England and Wales (YJB, 2018). Disaggregating this overarching trend by age, gender and race reveals more widely the cultural differences amongst youth, but also the impact social media and austerity has had on these young people’s perceptions of what violence means to them.

The present research explores, these debates and the nexus between youth and violence through a situational lens. Looking at the cultural nature of violence among young people and how this is translated within an urban and rural setting. Furthermore, the justification and normality alongside the gendered reality of violence is established. In doing so, this thesis seeks to challenge pathologizing stereotypes of violent youth, drawing on nuanced accounts of youth voice that demonstrate the role of social development, alongside the understandings, meanings and motivations for violent behaviour.

By considering this point of view this research raises important questions surrounding the geographical nature of youth violence, not only by how it is understood but how space is understood and used by young people. What’s more, it pushes the theoretical boundaries from traditional to cultural theory, raising important questions around reality and media. To understand this more thoroughly the thesis presents a combined theoretical concept, merging traditional philosophy with more culturally appropriate theory. This research proffers a deeper understanding of violence by understanding it from a less adult-centric perspective and utilises an interpretivistconstructivist framework to consider the nuanced observations from young people across two locations in Britain. As the study progressed it also became apparent that these areas also reflect the multi-cultural and multi-ethnic character of Britain today.

Item Type:	Thesis
Creators:	Francis, S.D.
Date:	March 2019
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Jeremy Silvester
Date Added:	29 Oct 2020 10:38
Last Modified:	31 May 2021 15:14
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/41435