Paper short abstract:

This presentation aims to explore how young people articulate an uncertain future in an era of climate crisis and major societal changes. However, uncertainty about the future is a reappearing phenomenon and could therefore well be studied intertextually.

Paper long abstract:

Our natural environment is in a state of rapid and dramatic change, not least because of human intervention. Human influence on the earth’s geology, biodiversity, and climate has created a new global uncertainty about the future. Concepts such as climate crisis and climate catastrophes form part of the narrative of a dystopian future in the media and the political discourse. Climate change is present both in the landscape and in political discourse, but it is also felt, sensed and apprehended emotionally as part of the fabric of everyday life, not least among young people.

This presentation aims to explore how young people come to terms with the loss of the idea of a future. However, feelings of uncertainty in regard to the future is not a new phenomenon. The fear of life-threatening events and futures is a constant presence in history. By focusing on children’s narratives of fear and worries of the climate crisis in the contemporary as well as archival material about uncertain times, I will examine the ways in which children and young people relate to a future in the Anthropocene and how the narratives of an uncertain future are related to historical narratives of fear and uncertainty. In what sense is the idea of dramatic change incorporated in the biographical narratives of young people?