Youth, Globalization, and the Law - Edited by Sudhir Alladi ...

This book addresses the impact of globalization on the lives of youth, focusing on the role of legal institutions and discourses. As practices and ideas travel the globe—such as the promotion and transmission of zero tolerance and retributive justice programs, the near ubiquitous acceptance of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the transnational migration of street gangs—the legal arena is being transformed.

The essays in this book offer case studies and in-depth analyses, spanning diverse settings including courts and prisons, inner-city streets, international human rights initiatives, newspaper offices, local youth organizations, and the United Nations. Drawing on everyday social practices, each chapter adds clarity to our current understanding of the ways in which ideas and practices in different parts of the world can affect youth in one particular locale.

About the authors

Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh is Associate Professor of Sociology; Director of Research in the Institute for Research in African-American Studies; and Director of the Center for Urban Research and Policy at Columbia University. He is the author of American Project: The Rise and Fall of a Modern Ghetto (2002). Ronald Kassimir is Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Political Science at the New School for Social Research. He is a co-editor of Youth Activism: An International Encyclopedia (2005).

"This fascinating volume brings together a number of diverse themes and ideas that focus on the effects of globalization on the lives of young people in contemporary societies .... This is a complex book that contains a number of fascinating and interrelated discussion ... It is recommended for postgraduate students and staff who want to deepen their understanding of this area."

—Fiona Hutton, Social and Legal Studies

"[An] interesting and thought-provoking collection of case studies of the criminalization of youth and responses to it, attempts to regulate youth behaviour, and the contradictions of youth empowerment."

—Canadian Journal of Sociology Online

"The topic of youth, globalization, and the law is timely and important, but all too often the subject of platitudes. The detailed work in this volume helps both to redefine the normal litany of problems and point to deeper solutions. The freshness and thoughtfulness of the volume will make it immediately vital to the NGO community, legal policymakers, and philanthropic foundations, and to professors teaching courses about globalization, human rights, and a number of other subjects."

—Bryant G. Garth, Director Emeritus, American Bar Foundation; Dean, Southwestern Law School

"Original, provocative, and important. This book shows the historical and political relationship among globalization and youth experience, and powerfully illustrates the interconnections of politics, crime, immigration, economics, and social space."

—Susan Sturm, Columbia University School of Law

Chapter 1

Contributors

Table of Contents