"Labor and Consumption". What's new?

At October 3, at Centre for Youth Studies the first workshop on the project "Labor and Consumption" has been held, at which colleagues of the center Alexei Zinoviev, Margarita Kuleva and Elvira Arif presented their ideas for future articles.

Margarita and Alexei has opened workshop with the presentation of the joint article entitled -"Between work and leisure: Strategies for the professionalization of interests in sports and creative societies."

In their study, they compared two types of today's youth employment - online interpreters of foreign tv shows and Parkour enthusiasts (tracers). Sports and creative community appeared within the scope of interest of our young scientists for a long time, and in this regard, there was an interesting idea to look at the comparative cut on these two communities: how these groups professionalize their leisure in the space of informal employment.

After a preliminary analysis of case studies speakers came to the conclusion that the first thing that unites these two groups is a simultaneous appearance on the youth stage at the beginning of the XXI century, and competition with the dominant institutions - the official sports organizations and massive TV, respectively.

Speaking of differences, authors noted three main points: rooted in the urban space parkour enthusiasts vs. translocal translators; limited production in athletes-tracers (production skills) vs. mass (in the form of a widespread network of translations series); as well as the symbolic production of working online vs. embodiment skills (embodied skill) in Parkurschiki.  

Next presenatation was provided by Elvira Arif.

She presented her theses and progress for future publication. Working title - Young people and illicit substances in the context of consumption.

Having considered the historical perspective of the emergence and spread, first in the Soviet Union and then in contemporary Russia, of illegal psychoactive substances (PAS), Elvira told about the formation of the terminology and values ​​associated with drug use. Criticizing official discourses that equalize drug users regardless of the type and environmental conditions, and thus problematizing the youth as a whole, Elvira pointed to a significant gap between the youth and the public discourse of consumption. Elvira explaining that in Soviet Union the use of illicit substances was out of media space - it is either held back or did not exist as a permanent and accessible to the general youth practices. Elvira pointed out that at the first appearance of a mass of illicit surfactant, the parents were less competent in the use of illicit surfactants than their children.

Today, according to the researcher, in the youth space a deproblematization occurs towards illicit surfactant through the idea of ​​successful use without any possible addiction.

Reports were met by cheers and criticisms from the rest of the staff of the Center for Youth Studies.