Citizen Youth: Culture, Activism, and Agency in a Neoliberal Era (Education, Politics and Public Life)

"What are the ties that bind the 'good youth citizen' and the youth activist in the twenty-first century? Contemporary young people are encouraged-- through education and other cultural sites -- to 'save the world' via community projects that resemble activism, yet increasingly risk arrest for public acts of dissent. Citizen Youth: culture, activism, and agency in a neoliberal era goes to the heart of these contradictions, exploring the dilemmas and cultural dynamics of being young and politically engaged. Through an ethnographic study of young people working on activist causes across the three largest urban centres in one of the wealthiest nations in the world (Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, Canada), this book draws on Bourdieusian cultural sociology, feminist theories of agency, phenomenology, and political theories of the state and neoliberalism to understand what it means to be a certain kind of youth citizen in the twenty-first century. Accessibly written yet theoretically engaged, the book will be of interest to individuals both within academia and in the wider world of social movements and youth engagement"-- "Never before have young people faced greater pressures to 'save the world,' an expectation that comes from teachers, media, and popular magazines. Yet youth are also increasingly at risk of arrest for public acts of dissent. Citizen Youth: culture, activism, and agency in a neoliberal era goes to the heart of this contradiction, exploring the dilemmas and cultural dynamics of being young and politically engaged. Through an ethnographic study of young activists in three urban centres in one of the wealthiest nations in the world, this book draws on a range of theoretical standpoints to understand what it means to be a certain kind of youth citizen in the twenty-first century"-- Cover......Page 1 Titlepage......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction: “Citizen Youth” in the Twenty-first Century......Page 14 1 Understanding Youth Political Engagement: Youth Citizenship as Governance......Page 32 2 Constructing the Good Youth Citizen: A History of the Present......Page 46 3 Good Citizen/Bad Activist: The Cultural Role of the State in Youth Political Participation......Page 60 4 Class Exclusions, Racialized Identities: The Symbolic Economy of Youth Activism......Page 86 5 Becoming Actors: Agency and Youth Activist Subcultures......Page 124 6 Conclusions......Page 146 Appendix: Research Methods......Page 156 Notes......Page 174 References......Page 182 Index......Page 198 "Never before have young people faced greater pressures to 'save the world, ' an expectation that comes from teachers, media, and popular magazines. Yet youth are also increasingly at risk of arrest for public acts of dissent. Citizen Youth: culture, activism, and agency in a neoliberal era goes to the heart of this contradiction, exploring the dilemmas and cultural dynamics of being young and politically engaged. Through an ethnographic study of young activists in three urban centres in one of the wealthiest nations in the world, this book draws on a range of theoretical standpoints to understand what it means to be a certain kind of youth citizen in the twenty-first century"-- Provided by publisher