Contemporary Youth Activism: Advancing Social Justice in the United States: Advancing Social Justice in the United States

by Jerusha Conner (Editor), Sonia M. Rosen (Editor)

Overview

At a time when youth are too often dismissed as either empowered consumers or disempowered deviants, it is vital to understand how these young people are pushing back, challenging such constructions, and advancing new possibilities for their institutions and themselves. This book examines the latest developments in the field of contemporary youth activism (CYA) and documents the myriad ways in which youth activists are effecting social change, even as they experience personal change. By taking public, political action on a range of intersecting issues, youth activists are shifting their own developmental pathways, shaping public policy, and shaking up traditional paradigms.

Section one of the book offers a historical perspective on youth activism in the United States, followed by a discussion of contemporary examples of CYA for social justice. The second and third sections analyze the individual, institutional, and ideological effects of CYA, arguing that youth activism works to promote change at three levels: self, systems, and in the broader society. Readers will come away with a clearer understanding of the many ways in which today's youth activists are working to reimagine and remake American democracy, reawakening the promise of a multi-issue, progressive movement for social justice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440842139
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	09/26/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	433
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Jerusha Conner, PhD, is associate professor of education at Villanova University, Villanova, PA.

Sonia M. Rosen, PhD, is assistant professor of education at Arcadia University, Philadelphia, PA.

What People are Saying About This

Pedro A. Noguera

"For readers seeking to understand where democracy in America may be heading, this book will provide insights into the thinking of a new generation of activists who are determined to create a more just and equitable society, whether those in power are ready for it or not."

Michelle Fine

"Contemporary Youth Activism stakes out the political, ethical, and strategic space for speaking in many tongues and generations, for bearing witness across communities and institutions, and for documenting the radical paths carved by young people in times of severe institutional betrayal and rich popular contestation. The volume is joyous and devastating—a gift to those of us trying to imagine and organize for the world as it might be . . . It is a must-read."

Marc Lamont Hill

"Conner and Rosen have masterfully assembled a collection that spotlights the wide range of ways that youth analyze, counter-narrate, and ultimately resist this dark neoliberal moment. The brilliant cadre of scholars in this volume, which includes youth themselves, raises the intellectual stakes of the scholarly literature on education research, youth studies, and social movement theory. More importantly, they dare us to imagine our youth as rich sites of agency, hope, possibility, and revolutionary love."