Youth, youth and identities: realities in contexts of economies classified as illicit by the State

Abstract

The following article is the result of the work titled '' Identities, life projects and community participation of young people in the district of El Plateado, Municipality of Cauca Algeria "within the framework of the Master's thesis on Sustainable Community Development of the National University Of Costa Rica, whose main objective was to '' Analyze the implications of coca cultivation in the construction of identities, future prospects, life projects and processes of community participation of young people in the district of El Plataado ''. The research corresponds to studies of a qualitative nature, in which the ethnographic approach was combined with the analysis of documents. The document addresses conceptual aspects of youth studies, particularly rural youths, who are traversed by the dynamics of illicit economies. It presents an x-ray of the reality lived by the young people in the local scene, and then understand the meanings given by the same actors to the categories of the young being, the youths and the identities. As main findings there is a high diversity of this population group that are linked directly or indirectly with activities associated with coca crops, in addition that in territories affected by the scourge of illicit crops generates a diffuse scenario in the Which is difficult to establish clear boundaries for the understanding of youth and youth. There are many young people in terms of age, but the existence of the youths vanishes in the face of a reality where, from an early age, they must assume adult roles. Likewise, it is impossible to speak of a defined local youth identity since cultural exchange in the face of permanent population mobility generates an environment of identity tension in the territory.