La politica è vecchia e la cittadinanza è giovane? Riflessioni sul rapporto tra giovani e politica a partire da un’analisi delle rappresentazioni sociali della cittadinanza

The article explores the relationship between young people and politics, through the lenses of their social representations of citizenship. Young people seem to discourage political commitment and to promote a more informal and intermittent kind of commitment, justified on ethical arguments rather than belongingness. The article put in perspective the thesis of a young depoliticed citizenship and push forward the depoliticizing properties of the idea of citizenship. Grounded on the refusal of ascribed memberships and on the valorization of individual qualities and responsibilities, youth representations of citizenship contrast with their perceptions of politics ‘as it is’, sharply distinguished from politics ‘as it should be’. Citizenship is shaped on the same features distinguishing ideal from actual politics but distinguishing also young from old generations