Inuit Youth: Growth and Change in the Canadian Arctic: Adolescence in 7 Societies

Richard G. Condon's ethnography of Inuit adolescence describes the life of young people between the ages of nine and twenty in the small, isolated Inuit community of Holman Island, located in the Northwest Territories of the Canadian Arctic. He begins with an overview of the historical development and contemporary situation of the community, covering social organization, economic adaptations, and recent changes in population structure. Condon details the rapid social, material, and political changes taking place, and the impact of these changes on the behaviors, attitudes, and aspirations of the new generation of Inuit. The author vividly describes the day-to-day activities of Inuit youth, their time playing sports and games, attending school, engaging in sexual play, and simply "hanging out" with their peers. Throughout the book, Condon communicates the young people's perspectives on their own social worlds.