Inventing Adulthoods

I have research interests in youth, education, families, intimacy, feminist theory and methodology, and qualitative longitudinal methods, and publish in these areas. Currently Co-Director of Timescapes, an ESRC funded 5 year qualitative longitudinal study with seven projects covering the life course located in five UK universities (Leeds (lead, Director Bren Neale), LSBU, Cardiff, Edinburgh and The Open University). Also have an archiving project in this study with colleagues, Making the Long View, archiving data from a 10 year qualitative longitudinal study of youth transitions, Inventing Adulthoods. See too timescapes.leeds.ac.uk; lsbu.ac.uk/inventingadulthoods. Rachel Thomson is Professor of Social Resaerch in the School of Health and Social Welfare. Rachel has been involved in a major longitudinal qualitative study of young people transitions to adulthood, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council since 1996 through the Children 5-16 and the Young People, Citizenship and Social Change programmes. The study is currently being archived with the support of a grant from the ESRC, and will be made available for secondary analysis (see lsbu.ac.uk/inventingadulthoods). Her research interests focus on gender identities, social change, sexuality, values, transitions and popular culture.

'The series Youth: Perspectives and Practice provides a distinctive and rare combination of expert commentary, new research, original theorising and critical reflection on how we should understand youth and work with young people. These books deserve a wide readership ... the way they are written and organised will make them particularly appealing to students' - Professor Robert MacDonald, University of Teesside

PART ONE: THEORIZING TRANSITIONS TO ADULTHOODIntroduction Time, Place and MethodInventing Adulthoods Resources and ResourcefulnessPART TWO: FROM PUBLIC AGENDAS TO JOINED UP LIVESEducationWorkCultures of ViolenceChemical CulturesWell-BeingPART THREE: BIOGRAPHICAL PROJECTS AND THE REMAKING OF INEQUALITYMobilityBelongingHomeIntimacySocialityConclusion Looking to the Future