Shadow Life in the Limelight. A Social Anthropological Perspective on Youth,Local Community,Rites of Passage and Drunkenness

Abstract

Use of alcohol by young people is officially regarded as a health and social problem. Why then do young people choose to take part in drinking rituals? This paper presents data showing that young people in small, rural communities have their alcohol debut at an earlier age but drink less than young people in towns and urban communities. The difference is explained by the partici-pation of parents and local authorities in public ‘rites of passage’ from childhood to adolescence. Drinking rituals can be seen as a form of collective communication about values, belonging and inclusion in the community. The authors argue that when young people are excluded from the drinking arenas and drinking rituals of adults, which tends to be the case in urban communities, they create an alternative shadow life involving increasing alcohol consumption.