Resumo

SUAREZ ZOZAYA, María Herlinda. The origins of the youth of university students. Perfiles educativos [online]. 2018, vol.40, n.159, pp.177-191. ISSN 0185-2698.

This text sets out to explore students’ capacity for agency. The issue dates back to the medieval period, when universities were founded. This paper argües that this time marked the juncture when the social construction of youth began, and it was the youthfulness of students that triggered this development. Youth is defined from a sociocultural standpoint where age is a necessary -but insufficient- condition for being a youth. This calls for recognition thatyoung people are subjected to a series of symbolic and structural tensions and contrasts vis-a-vis the adult world. The information is sourced from historiographical and literary works.

Palavras-chave : University; Youth; Students; Young persons; Social subjects; Histórical analysis.