Can Unemployment Restrain? Community Action, Social Support Networks and Public Participation
Journal Title: KultŁ«ra ir visuomenė. SocialiniŁ³ tyrimŁ³ Ł¾urnalas - Year 2014, Vol 5, Issue 2
Abstract
The article focuses on the question of how socially excluded groups in society use social support networks to reduce the negative effects of social stigmatization. The role of social networks is very important explaining such processes of social exclusion as marginalization, poverty or social polarization. Social networks allow to minimize the burden of social isolation, which separates individual from the main institutions such as family, friends, work or social welfare system. It also provides an important access to the financial and symbolic resources. Another analytical question is related to the analysis of the meaning of community and collective action. Can an interest in public affairs and active participation in community life be perceived as one of the most effective strategies to reduce social distance? In the article, the theoretical insights are complemented with the results of qualitative semi-structured interviews with young unemployed men under 40 years old. Empirical results reveal the ways in which unemployed young men maintain social support networks and what importance they assign to strong and weak social ties. Do helplessness, social apathy and lack of empowerment invoked by unemployment disrupt the existing social ties and restrict the men’s participation in community life? The lack of empowerment and social marginalization are more evident among young unemployed men with lower education. Their established social networks are fragmented and highly polarized. On the contrary, men with higher education use available social and symbolic capital more efficiently in order to reduce the social and economic risks caused by unemployment. Young unemployed people employ the concept of social justice that reflects the individual responsibility for their life choices. However, the rising visions of community and solidarity remain far behind the borders of identity.
Authors and Affiliations
Jurga Bučaitė-Vilkė
Keywords
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- EP ID EP111092
- DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.7220/2335-8777.5.2.2
- Views 112
- Downloads 0
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