Wyn, J., Cuervo, H. & Cook, J. (2019) Expanding theoretical boundaries from youth transitions to belonging and new materiality. In S. Habib & M. R. M. Ward (eds.) Youth, Place and Theories of Belonging (pp. 12-24). London: Routledge. 1 Chapter 1 Expanding theoretical boundaries from youth transitions to belonging and new materiality Johanna Wyn, Hernan Cuervo and Julia Cook Abstract This chapter draws on a longitudinal study of young Australians to analyse the spatial dimensions of youth transitions through the concept of belonging. It argues that new materialist approaches provide a useful resource for moving beyond transition frameworks. Focusing on the materiality of everyday events in young adults’ lives, the authors show how young people’s transitions are formed over time within networks of relationships with people, places and objects. They conclude that, when understood in this way, the concept of belonging becomes a useful tool for gaining insight into the relationship between biography and history in young people’s lives. Introduction The concept of belonging expands understanding of young people’s lives across time through an analysis of the dynamic processes that connect them to their worlds. When understood in this way, this concept resonates with the claim that youth is a social process, not simply a category or life stage (Wyn & White 1997; Cohen 1997; Mizen 2004). While transition points and markers such as leaving school, graduating from university or getting a full-time job may give us insights into young people’s trajectories, mapping transitions does not in