Considering the theoretical-methodological diversity of studies about youths inside and outside Brazil, this paper provides a general presentation of the theoretical contribution of the documentary method developed since Karl Mannheim for qualitative research on Social Sciences. Thus we may observe the analytical potential of the method for studying the collective orientations encouraged by young people in order to establish a life style centered on youth culture as a preponderant factor for generational configuration. In empirical terms, this article proposes an approach to the problem with regard to the marginalization of young people in communities located in the outskirts of the Federal District, taking Ceilândia as an example. More precisely, the analytical cross-section is the life style of the hip-hop culture embraced by the youth of the Federal District, which is understood to be a mechanism for producing their collective orientations.
Documentary method; Collective orientations; Youth; Hip hop; Federal District