The Weltschmertz of transition

A narrativization of the experiences of young people while searching for jobs and upon finding employment in the context of postsocialist transformation

Vesna, Trifunović

Glasnik Etnografskog instituta SANU

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http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/Article.aspx?ID=0350-08611302147T

2013-2020/03/08/19:07:43

The paper focuses on a well-defined social group which emerges as an important factor in social development and progress, one which is also, undoubtedly threatened in the context of postsocialist transformation. The group in question consists of young, university-educated people, of different professions and genders. The defining feature of this group as informants is their aspiration toward individualization, or rather - employment, emancipation from their families, career advancement and further specialization through work. Within the existing context of postsocialist transformation, these plans are hindered, first and foremost, by the barricade of unemployment, but it must be noted that the issues don’t disappear with finding a job, and the long-yearned-for job position often carries with it new disappointments. The aim of this paper is to present these problems from the perspective of the lived experiences of the young people themselves. Following this, the paper attempts to understand the causes of these problems and the obstacles which young people face. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 177026: Kulturno nasleđe i identitet]

employment, narratives, postsocialist transformation, young people