Presentation Youth (Sub)cultures in Changing Societies Conference, Tallin, 2011

Conformity in Bologna: visual representation of youth Italian culture
Eugen Glăvan

Youth (Sub)cultures in Changing Societies Conference, Centre for Lifestyles Studies, Institute for International and Social Studies, Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia, 2-4 February 2011

The city of Bologna (Italy) is known for the left wing political options of inhabitants and for the one of the lowest child birth rates in a Europe city. Those aspects, combined with the fact that the city has the largest university in Europe in terms of numbers of students, shapes the local youth culture in a particular way. The paper investigates the visual manner in which young inhabitants of Bologna express themselves in an attempt to identify the characteristics of their public voice. Using the methods of visual sociology, I analyze the graffiti in terms of locations and content trying to explain the process of socialization in a stable and prosperous society.