Prominent studies and opinion polls often claim that young people are disengaged from political institutions, distrustful of politicians, and disillusioned about democracy. Young People, Citizenship and Political Participation challenges these political stereotypes by asking whether young people have been contributing to or rectifying our civic deficit. In particular, it examines the role of civics education in addressing the so-called crisis of democracy. Turning away from conventional suggestions often advocated by politicians and educators that offer civics education as the solution, the book advances an alternate approach to civics - one that acknowledges the increasingly diverse ways in which young people are both engaging and disengaging politically.
Autorentext
Mark Chou is an Associate Professor of Politics at the Australian Catholic University.
Zusammenfassung
Prominent studies and opinion polls often claim to show that young people distrust politicians, they are disengaged from political institutions, and are disillusioned about democracy. But academic work conversely shows that young people are engaging with politics, merely in new and innovative ways.
Young People, Citizenship and Political Participation responds to the gap between the claims of these findings. It explores whether, and how, young people work with and against contemporary politics - at institutional and grassroots levels. It also examines the role of civics education in addressing this so-called crisis of democracy. Instead of seeing civics education as the solution, they offer an approach to civics that acknowledges the increasingly diverse ways in which young people are engaging politically.
Inhalt
1. Preface. / 2. Disengaged: young people and political disengagement in Anglo-American democracies / 3. Democracy in Crisis: are young people to blame? / 4. Civics Education: defender or divider of democracy? / 5. Different Ways, Different Domains: the everyday politics of young people / 6. Brexit, Bono, and the Entrepreneurial Self: young people's participation as 'global citizens' / 7. Co-Designed: a new approach to civics and citizenship.