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.
"[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