Young people of other worlds: Urban tribes? Youth cultures? Contributions from nonwestern contexts

Abstract

From an experience of field in four districts of the city of Cairo, the author raises a reflection and a reframing of the instituted traditional methodologies for the investigation between generational groups in western contexts. Although the basically urban character of these associations is defended, it discusses to the relevance of the application of the concepts of “urban tribe” and “youth culture” in cultural scenes like the represented ones in societies that have undergone a fast transition to a modernity imposed by the transnational networks. In this sense, the objective is the refining of those conceptual tools offering a new perspective of which it considers the historical and social peculiarities of the construction of “young” the social category in other places. Finally, the text tries to vindicate the Anthropology like an empirical and non a priori discipline.