Exploring children and young people's narratives of identity

In this paper I begin by considering the way that children are located in n arratives of identity not of their own making. Specifically, I argue that i n twentieth century Britain, children have been defined in opposition to ad ults. This compartmentalisation of childhood as a separate category from ad ulthood is reinforced by the contemporary process of familialisation. I the n go on to consider the way that children are also increasingly being locat ed within narratives of individualisation, being confronted with many of th e same choices as adults while also facing similar risks of marginalisation through their choices. Using the example of adult-child relationships at s chool break time, I examine how as a result of this process of individualis ation the category child/youth is dissolving into adulthood and erasing rel ationships between childhood and adulthood based purely on hierarchy and de ference. In producing their own narrative of the self, I argue that young p eople increasingly have to learn to negotiate this ambiguity if they are to position themselves correctly within adult and peer cultures. In particula r, it is within the context of peer group culture that young people have to learn how to articulate their individuality while at the same time conform ing with peer group identities which are highly embodied and are predicated on adult notions of heterosexualised gender identities. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.