Creatività, innovazione sociale e partecipazione giovanile

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between creative practices, social innovation and civic participation in Campania, with particular reference to the young generations (18–35 years old). Drawing on theoretical frameworks developed in the sociology of culture, urban sociology and social innovation studies, the contribution argues that music, art, and widespread cultural production can function as devices of civic activation and contribute to redefining public space, especially in territories marked by strong social inequalities. The article engages with classical and contemporary sociological theories – from the Frankfurt School to the sociology of art worlds, from Bourdieu’s cultural field theory to recent approaches in social innovation and participatory urbanism – to offer an interpretive framework capable of accounting for the complex dynamics of youth cultural production and civic life in Southern Italy. The analysis is grounded in the research-action project “Generazione Creattiva. Participation, Creativity and Innovation” and in over twenty years of empirical research on youth cultures in Campania conducted by the Osservatorio Giovani of the University of Naples Federico II.