‘That politics thing’: young people’s narratives of connection and collaboration in the age of Brexit

On the 23rd of June 2016 the British electorate voted to leave the European Union (EU). The referendum campaign and the aftermath of the vote were marked by a spike in hate crimes fuelled by anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant discourse. This article offers an analysis of qualitative group interviews designed to gain insights into young people’s sense of belonging during this period. Data was collected from young people aged 14-24, based in schools and youth groups located in the Northwest of England. The fearful effects of Brexit were reflected in many of the interviews; however, a dominant theme was a desire for dialogue, connection and intercultural mixing. Drawing from Spinoza’s theory of the affects, this article shows how the young people’s narratives provide the basis for forms of civic education that offer greater educative and ontological possibilities than agonistic approaches or governmental requirements focussed on shared national values.