Growing Up Rural : Qualitative Longitudinal Explorations of Young People Living in the Nordic Countries

Abstract

This open access book explores the everyday lives of young people living in rural areas in Nordic countries, drawing on qualitative longitudinal methods. The young people’s life stories are set against a backdrop of Nordic welfare states under increasing global pressure. Growing Up Rural contributes to the growing literature on spatialized youth studies by providing a refreshing antidote to one-sided stories about depraved young lives in rural areas. By drawing on novel empirical analyses of longitudinal data, thereby foregrounding processual shifts and changes over time, it highlights the vast varieties in young people’s lives as well as the agency and navigation skills required to master vulnerabilities in transitions to adulthood. It contributes to ongoing discussions about how longitudinal qualitative research design provides a deeper understanding of the lives of young people as they unfold. This book provides useful and inspiring insights for scholars and students of youth studies, rural studies, life course studies, and qualitative research more generally.