The Metamorphoses of the Generational Question: The Problem of the Incorporation of Youths in the Social Dynamic

ABSTRACT

This article takes up the Mannheimian theory of generations as a guideline in proposing an interpretation of the metamorphoses of the generational question on the developed world, with the goal of putting into perspective patterns of incorporation of new generations into collective life in Brazil. It seeks to contrast the eminently public (and republican) pattern of the structuring of life opportunities of younger generations, typical of the European world, to another, more saliently private (and commoditized) pattern, characteristic of Brazil, with the latter nonetheless undergoing transformations, albeit slow, during recent years.

generation; youth; inequality; Brazil; West