Trends in research on youth, inequality, and social movements: a literature review

This article offers a systematic review of the scientific literature on youth, social inequality, and social movements, through a bibliometric and co-occurrence network analysis based on records from the Scopus database. Using the Bibliometrix tool for data processing and visualization, it identifies publication patterns, the most influential authors and institutions, as well as the main lines of research shaping this emerging field. The findings reveal a sustained growth in academic output since 2018 and a geographic concentration in Global North countries, though with increasing Latin American participation. Youth are analyzed as heterogeneous actors whose mobilizations respond to structural conditions of exclusion, inequality, and marginalization. Three predominant thematic clusters are recognized: inclusion and diversity in youth participation; empowerment and education in youth activism; and intersectionality as a critical lens of contemporary activism. This pioneering quantitative analysis of the field helps to outline a research agenda aimed at recognizing youth cultural capital and expanding their forms of political participation.