“青年”是谁?——“青年”概念界定中的问题及原因探析

Who are “Youth”?——Problems and Reasons in the Definition of “Youth”

改革开放40多年来,青年研究对"青年"等基础概念的内涵与外延未能作出准确的界定。多种版本的"青年学"教材,以及诸多青年研究学术论文对"青年"概念的界定,主要有三方面特点:关注把年龄作为界定"青年"本质主要依据的合理性;关注历史、文化、经济、社会条件对"青年"概念内涵形成的决定性作用;关注不同学科视野下,"青年"概念的多义性。在界定"青年"概念的过程中,存在着对"青年"内涵的揭示不符合青年的现实状况、把青年概念作为一个可以自我设定的概念、概念界定不合基本逻辑规范等多方面的问题。研究者学术训练欠缺、对青年认知水平不够高等,是"青年"概念界定过程中种种问题产生的重要原因。必须从基本形态、基本特点、基本意义、历史发展等多维度深化对"青年"等概念的研究,以推进青年研究的发展,促进"青年学"学科的构建。

Over the past 40 years of reform and opening up, youth research has failed to accurately define the connotation and extension of basic concepts such as "youth". Various versions of "Youth Studies" textbooks, as well as many youth research academic papers on the definition of the concept of "youth", mainly have three characteristics: focus on the rationality of using age as the main basis for defining the essence of "youth";focus on history, culture, and economy, the decisive role of social conditions in the formation of the connotation of the concept of "youth";pay attention to the ambiguity of the concept of "youth" from the perspective of different disciplines. In the process of defining the concept of "youth", there are many problems such as the connotation of "youth" that does not conform to the reality of youth, the concept of youth as a self-defining concept, and the definition of the concept does not conform to basic logical norms. The lack of academic training of researchers and the insufficient level of cognition of youth are important reasons for various problems in the process of defining the concept of "youth". It is necessary to deepen the research on the concept of "youth" from multiple dimensions such as basic form, basic characteristics, basic meaning, historical development, etc., in order to promote the development of youth research and the construction of the subject of "Youth Studies".