Affects, Transgressions and Resistance among Girls, Boys and Families in Times of Crisis (Gallura, Sardinia)

Abstract

In an altered human environment, childhood and youth can be marked by forms of mental distress and inappropriate social behaviors that enhance the climate of social anxiety.

From an economically depressed but socially cohesive area, Gallura has quickly transformed into an exclusive tourist destination for rich continentals and foreigners. The Gallura people have not benefited from so much imported opulence, on the contrary, they have suffered from the perverse socio-cultural alteration that has torn the traditional fabric of relationality leaving behind a desolate social scenario. Following the narrative of boys, girls, and families in times of crisis, this contribution tries to illustrate and discuss their efforts to position themselves on the social scene as political subjects who build the future, facing guilt-inducing categorizations and claiming recognition for their suffering and daily affective labor.