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Departies : conceptualizing extended youth parties

Fjær, Eivind Grip and Tutenges, Sébastien LU (2017) In Journal of Youth Studies 20(2). p.200-215
Abstract

Every year, millions of young people travel away from home to party for days or weeks on end in permissive environments, such as music festivals, dance parties, and nightlife resorts. The studies that have been conducted on these extended youth parties have focused primarily on specific risk-taking behaviors, such as drug use and violence. Here, we scrutinize the research on extended youth parties to identify general changes that young people undergo at these events. We call these celebrations departies, because they center on the organization and facilitation of momentary departures from the participants’ everyday life. Participants depart (1) spatially, by traveling to locations that are constructed as sites of opportunity and excess;... (More)

Every year, millions of young people travel away from home to party for days or weeks on end in permissive environments, such as music festivals, dance parties, and nightlife resorts. The studies that have been conducted on these extended youth parties have focused primarily on specific risk-taking behaviors, such as drug use and violence. Here, we scrutinize the research on extended youth parties to identify general changes that young people undergo at these events. We call these celebrations departies, because they center on the organization and facilitation of momentary departures from the participants’ everyday life. Participants depart (1) spatially, by traveling to locations that are constructed as sites of opportunity and excess; (2) temporally, by partying for several days in a row and focusing on immediate gratifications; (3) morally, by engaging in activities that are widely deemed immoral; (4) stylistically, by altering their stylistic expressions through dress, demeanor, and consumption; and (5) experientially, because the parties generate mood and mind alterations. These are overlapping and intertwined elements, the combination of which amounts to a distinct type of youth party. Departies constitute exceptional events in the lives of many young people, and ought to be studied from a comparative perspective.

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author
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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Alcohol, drugs, nightlife, risk, tourism, youth
in
Journal of Youth Studies
volume
20
issue
2
pages
16 pages
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:84979210350
ISSN
1367-6261
DOI
10.1080/13676261.2016.1206865
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
b8b4bd1e-ab93-454f-a42b-87cfc8961fe5
date added to LUP
2019-04-10 14:00:55
date last changed
2022-04-25 22:45:58
@article{b8b4bd1e-ab93-454f-a42b-87cfc8961fe5,
  abstract     = {{<p>Every year, millions of young people travel away from home to party for days or weeks on end in permissive environments, such as music festivals, dance parties, and nightlife resorts. The studies that have been conducted on these extended youth parties have focused primarily on specific risk-taking behaviors, such as drug use and violence. Here, we scrutinize the research on extended youth parties to identify general changes that young people undergo at these events. We call these celebrations departies, because they center on the organization and facilitation of momentary departures from the participants’ everyday life. Participants depart (1) spatially, by traveling to locations that are constructed as sites of opportunity and excess; (2) temporally, by partying for several days in a row and focusing on immediate gratifications; (3) morally, by engaging in activities that are widely deemed immoral; (4) stylistically, by altering their stylistic expressions through dress, demeanor, and consumption; and (5) experientially, because the parties generate mood and mind alterations. These are overlapping and intertwined elements, the combination of which amounts to a distinct type of youth party. Departies constitute exceptional events in the lives of many young people, and ought to be studied from a comparative perspective.</p>}},
  author       = {{Fjær, Eivind Grip and Tutenges, Sébastien}},
  issn         = {{1367-6261}},
  keywords     = {{Alcohol; drugs; nightlife; risk; tourism; youth}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{02}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{200--215}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Journal of Youth Studies}},
  title        = {{Departies : conceptualizing extended youth parties}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2016.1206865}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/13676261.2016.1206865}},
  volume       = {{20}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}