I giovani e la re-invenzione del sociale. Per una prospettiva di ricerca sulle nuove generazioni

The basic hypothesis of the article «The young people and the re-invention of the social» is that the new generations are the testimony – not necessarily aware – of a process of «re-invention of the social», that is, of a radical transformation of the relationships between individuals and society. We are witnessing a progressive disruption of the traditional boundaries of sub-systems and a subsequent hybridization of means and goals of social action. Individualization reflects in a rarefaction of the collective sphere. Sociability is no longer mainly shaped by the consolidated identification between individuals and groups but follows a flexible and dynamic conformation. We argue that these processes do not weaken but reinforce the dimension of relationality and sociability, placing them at the heart of a new social morphology, where – according to Melucci – social relations produce society through processes of «identization», that is, through dynamics of «identifying actions»