What we think of as 'youth' differs in different theoretical positions, but is partly defined against philosophical notions of the 'normal' adult self as a rational, responsible, free, conscious, choosing, autonomous being, 'self' or 'subject'-- a contestible position. While an understanding of both psychological and sociological approaches to adolescence/youth (as respective labels) are important for enabling educators to gain a better understanding of youth identities, this paper will focus on postmodern approaches. Postmodern approaches to youth and the influence of Foucauldian critique are briefly discussed by using several exemplars. These include notions of a globalised youth culture (Giroux, 1990; Luke, 2000), feminist viewpoints that challenge existing 'truths' and theoretical constructs as being primarily patriarchal and universalist assumptions that ignore the particular experiences of females and position adolescents as a single group whereby the female is subsumed under what have been mostly male norms (Lesko, 1996; Nava, 1991); and youth movements (Kahane, 1997).