Introduction: Identity Development, Mobility and Transition to Adulthood

Abstract

The opening chapter introduces some of the key concepts used in this book, such as identity, development and transitions, and discusses how these concepts are viewed from the semiotic cultural perspective. It also places the research study discussed in the book in relation to two interlinked contexts—transition to adulthood and mobility. By discussing the complexities of transitioning into adulthood in contemporary societies and considering the notion of ‘emerging adulthood’, the chapter places the case studies in relation to contemporary debates in sociology and youth studies and in mainstream developmental psychology. The chapter also briefly considers the different forms of mobility that were experienced by the eight young people whose lives are at the centre of this book.