Peripheral Creativities

In a context of polycrisis and lack of opportunities for youth emancipation, it is vital to understand the socio-economic conditions, life experiences, practices, and social representations of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Peripheral Creativities examines the intersection of urban segregation, creative practices, and public policy in understanding marginalised youth living in peripheral territories.

Bringing together contributions from sociologists, anthropologists, and other social science scholars across three continents, this edited volume addresses how creativity is mobilised by young people from urban peripheral neighbourhoods, as well as their influence on the (re)definition of public policy targeting them. Developed within the PERICREATIVITY project based in Portugal, the book combines insights from PERICREATIVITY researchers with contributions from scholars working in other parts of the world, offering diverse contexts and perspectives on peripheral youth while highlighting the growing significance of artistic practices in the construction of positive identities and in the subversion of dominant stereotypes. The volume further shows how these creative practices have also been appropriated by the state as instruments of urban governance, linked to agendas of youth participation, local development, and social inclusion.

Advancing knowledge on youth creativity in segregated territories and on public policy, the book pays particular attention to urban segregation, social marginalisation, and structural inequality.

Otávio Raposo is a Research Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon and Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology, Portugal.

Lígia Ferro is Professor of Sociology at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and a researcher at the Institute of Sociology of the University of Porto, Portugal.

Pedro Varela is an anthropologist and landscape architect. He is Researcher at the Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology at Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon, Portugal.