In Latin American countries, education is the context in which both social youth and youth subculture develop. The history of Latin America has given education, notably university-level education, a privileged and specific role in the political scene and cultural projects. As the students must enroll in only a few universities, most of them located in urban centers, youth have a convenient base for mobilization. The students are both a privileged group and a group that is conscious of the difference between the image society has of itself and the realities of social discrimination. This sets the stage for Latin American youth to assume a political role. Latin American students confront the established social order in a more intense manner than in any other region of the world. This study identifies the intellectual framework within which Latin American youth have interpreted the structure and tendencies of their societies and examines youth as a statistical classification, the place of young adults in the labor force, and the future for Latin American youth. 31 notes.