‘It’s not a future issue, it’s a now issue’: young climate activists’ changing habitus in the face of climate change

Young people traditionally face social expectations about how they should behave according to their position in society. However, these expectations can clash with the realities of a rapidly changing world. This study uses Bourdieu’s concept of hysteresis to explore how young activists in Boorloo (Perth, Western Australia) navigate the climate crisis. Hysteresis describes the misalignment of one’s internalised disposition and behaviours (their habitus) with the external world and is a useful tool to explain how young people respond to climate change and the associated environmental crises. We argue that young people today experience hysteresis because they are expected to patiently and silently wait and learn while decisions continue to be made that further harm the planet and increase the crisis. This disconnect, however, allows the development of a new set of norms and behaviours, that is, a new habitus; a habitus that is generational while also being radical and ecological.

Journal of Youth Studies

Journal of Youth Studies

33

1469-9680

N/A

2

16