AGENCY, PLACE, SCALE: REPRESENTATIONS OF INNER-CITY YOUTH IDENTITIES HARALD BAUDER Department of Geography, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 Received: August 2000; revised January 2001 ABSTRACT Geographers are in a special position to comment on the role of neighbourhood representations in the marginalisation of urban minorities. This paper examines the impact of representations of place on the production of inner-city youth identities. It argues that the spatial scale of representation is a crucial element in the production of marginal identity, and investigates whether switching scale is a viable option for escaping this identity. Linking the concepts of structure and agency to the notions of ideology and identity, it applies a theoretical argument to empirical contexts of representation and identity formation. Results from semi-structured interviews with local youths and institutional administrators in an inner-city neighbourhood of San Antonio, Texas, illustrate how place- and scale-particular ideologies intervene in processes of youth identity formation. While overlying scales of place enables the social exclusion of youths, jumping scales does not empower individuals. Key words: Structure-agency, identity, youths, inner city, San Antonio, grounded theory analysis INTRODUCTION The social and economic marginalisation of minorities in US inner cities has been the focus of debate for several decades (Moynihan 1965; Wilson 1987). But despite ongoing re- search efforts by urban sociologists, anthro- pologists, economists and geographers we still know relatively little about the role of cultural representation in the production of the inner- city marginality. Geographers especially are in a position to comment on this issue because the theme of place, i.e. the inner city and the marginal neighbourhood, frames this debate. This paper examines the effect of representa- tions of place on the production of inner-city youth identities. It argues that the spatial scale of representation is a crucial element in the production of marginal identity, and investi- gates whether switching scale is a viable option for escaping this identity. The paper also draws on a wider debate in the social sciences revolving around issues of structure and agency. Although Pile and Thrift (1995) argue that in post-structural theory ‘[t]he structure/agency debate has been twisted: ‘‘discourse’’ was neither structure nor agency and both structure and agency’ (p. 4), I think that the theoretical separation of agency from underlying social structure is important for envisioning political strategies for empowerment. As agents, inner-city youths, community activists, and urban insti- tutions maintain a degree of decision-making autonomy, which enables them to influence their social situation. Recent treatments of structure and agency have recognised the multi-faceted nature of social life, which is fractured along the lines of gender, race, culture and space (Pratt 1991; Chouinard 1997). Following this line of thought, the paper recognises place as a defining element that frames structure and agency relationships. Furthermore, it links theoretical concepts of structure and agency to the notions of ideology and identity. This linkage enables the application of a theor- etical discussion of structure and agency to Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie – 2001, Vol. 92, No. 3, pp. 279–290. # 2001 by the Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG Published by Blackwell Publishers, 108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden MA 02148, USA