Drunk and disorderly? Strategies of Control and Resistance in the Context of Young People's Alcohol Consumption in UK Public Space

Prof. Dr. Gill Valentine, Univ. of Leeds
NaTo: Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 46, 18 Uhr (in englischer Sprache)

There is widespread concern in the UK about young people's binge drinking in public space. This has been prompted by concern about alcohol-fuelled disorder on the streets and conflicts between young people -- as a night-life active group -- and older residents as late-night venues have encroached upon traditional residential areas. In this context, there has been the re-emergence of the ‘moral panic' about young people as ‘out of control'. Many local states have sought to maintain public order by restricting the growth of drinking outlets, passing byelaws to curb drinking on the streets, increasing CCTV surveillance and community policing, and creating multi-agency teams to tackle the ‘youth problem' in an attempt to regulate these ‘deviant' bodies. At the same time, blame has been laid at the door of parents for adopting a more liberal approach to child-rearing in the context of individualisation, introducing children to alcohol at a young age in the family context and condoning their experiments with drink. This presentation will critically engage with these debates about intergenerational relations and strategies of control and resistance in the context of British youth.