The Weltschmertz of Transition: a Narrativization of the Experiences of Young People Searching for Jobs and  upon Finding Employment Cover Image

Транзицијски велтшмерц: наративизација искуства младих при тражењу посла и запослењу, у контексту постсоцијалистичке трансформације
The Weltschmertz of Transition: a Narrativization of the Experiences of Young People Searching for Jobs and upon Finding Employment

Author(s): Vesna Trifunović
Subject(s): Anthropology
Published by: Етнографски институт САНУ
Keywords: young people; employment; narratives; postsocialist transformation.

Summary/Abstract: 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.

  • Issue Year: LXI/2013
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 147-162
  • Page Count: 16
  • Language: Serbian