At a time when political mobilisation is a symptom of social dissatisfaction, young people’s participation in political decision-making, practice and ideological change, make foregrounding and investigating their political practices a necessity. The title of this book, Young People Shaping Democratic Politics: Interrogating Inclusion, Mobilising Education clearly announces its intention, subject, and mission. This collection has been inspired by topical youth mobilisations that aim to address injustices and inequalities which are rooted in poverty, austerity, violence, increased surveillance, climate change, dislocation, xenophobia, the rise of authoritarian regimes, and a global turn to the political right. Whereas young people are politicised in moments of conflict and become symbolic conduits for the future of their nation, they represent a category most often relegated to the apolitical sphere before and after such moments of crisis. This edited collection seeks to expand our engagement with inclusion beyond educational institutions by situating young people at the centre of our inquiry, as agents of political processes that promote, problematise and re-imagine inclusive societies. The chapters engage in contemporary case-studies, which are mapped across a wide range of countries from Europe (Serbia, Spain and United Kingdom), North Africa (Egypt), South Africa, North America (United States), South-Asia (Bangladesh), and West Asia (Lebanon).
Author(s): Ian Rivers, C. Laura Lovin
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 287
City: Cham
Acknowledgements
Contents
List of Contributors
List of Figures
List of Tables
1 Introduction
Reference
2 Black Youth Activism Was Pivotal to the Civil Right Movement: How Black Lives Matter Is Inspiring Education Activists of Today
Introduction
Black Lives Matter Movement as a Current Form of Political and Societal Resistance for Today’s Young People
The Origins of American Public Education and the Role of Schools in Reproducing Inequity and Injustice
A Brief Historical Overview of Student Activism and Resistance in the United States
What’s Happening in an Eastern Seaboard State and What Is Transformative Student Voice?
Pedagogical Feature
References
3 Political Participation of Young People in Serbia: Activities, Values, and Capability
Introduction
Conceptual Framework: Conventional and Unconventional Forms of Young People’s Political Participation and Determining Factors
Factors of Youth Political Participation
The Contextual Background
Our Study
Method
Outcome Variables
Theoretical Indicators: Capability, Trust, Authoritarianism, and Self-Transcendence
Other Indicators
Our Findings
Descriptive Statistics
Analysis
Discussion and Conclusions
Pedagogical Feature
Transactional Political Participation?
References
4 The 2018 Road Safety Protest in Bangladesh: How a Student Crowd Challenged (or Could not Challenge) the Repressive State
Introduction
A Brief History of Student Activism in Bangladesh
Contemporary Urban Middle-Class Youth-Led Organizing
The 2018 Road Safety Protest and the Framing of an “Accident”
Student Organizing and the Formation of the “Crowd”
Crowd Solidarity
The Leaderless Crowd
Crowd Questioning the State Legitimacy
The Virtual Crowd
Violent State Suppression of the Crowd
Conclusion
Pedagogical Feature
References
5 From the Streets to the Campus: The Institutionalization of Youth Anti-Sexual Harassment Activism in Post-Coup Egypt
Introduction
Organizational Habitats: The Challenges and Opportunities of Institutionalization in Egyptian Youth Anti-Sexual Harassment Activism
Youth Anti-Sexual Harassment Activism: Transitioning from the Streets to Institutions Under the Military Regime
HarassMap’s Safe Schools and Universities: From Bystander Intervention to Institutional Approaches
Cairo University: Building Intersectional Alliances Among Faculty, Students, and Activists
Campus Anti-Sexual Harassment Activism and the Creation of New Gendered Subjectivities
What Future for Youth Anti-Sexual Harassment Activism in Egypt?
Pedagogical Feature
References
6 When David Defeats Goliath. The Case of MeToo University: The Solidarity Network of Victims of Gender-Based Violence in Universities
Introduction
David vs. Goliath: Young People Against Gender-Based Violence on College Campuses
From Victims to Survivors: The Rise of a Social Movement
Extending the Struggle: Weaving Alliances, Joining Forces
The Right to a University Free of GBV
Pedagogical Feature
What Are the Challenges for Young People to Achieve Political and Social Impact?
References
7 Practising Sectarianism: Lebanese Youth Politics and the Complexity of Youth Political Engagement
Introduction
Oversimplifying Middle Eastern “Youth” as a Political Force
The Complexity of Youth Political Engagement
Changes to Youth Politics in the Aftermath of 2005
University Student Elections in Lebanon: Sites of Politicization
Protecting Democratic Space: The American University of Beirut
The Partisan Colonization of Student Spaces
Attracting New Support: “Sororities and Fraternities of Lebanon”
Partying and Politics: The Competition Over Fun
Elections at AUB: The Annual “Carnival”
Conclusion: Hopeful Shifts in Youth Politics
Pedagogical Feature
References
8 Interrogating Vulnerability Within the University: A Case Study of Undocumented/DACAmented Students at a Jesuit Institution
Introduction
Contexts, Conceptual Frameworks, Constructs, Narratives, and Methodological Implications
Feminist Interpretations of Vulnerability and Precarity
University Engaging Vulnerability and Victimhood
Methodological Notes: Critical Intersectional Ethnography
Undocumented Students Coming of Age in U.S. Education
Undocumented Student Organizing at a Jesuit Institution: A Case Study
The Setting: The University
The Undocumented Students and Allies Association (USAA)
Agency, Resistance, and Strategic Deployment of Feminist Vulnerability
Conclusion
Pedagogical Feature
Appendices
References
9 Making Visible Intersectional Black Pain: Embodied Activism and Affective Communities in Recent South African Youth Movements
Introduction
Contexts of Exclusion and Intersectional Oppression
The Must Fall Movements in South Africa: Decolonisation and Intersectionality
Affective Communities and Black Pain
Rhodes Must Fall: Embodied Histories and Relics of Colonialism
Embodied Activism of Women and Queer Activists
Conclusion: Revolutionary Change, Interrupted
Pedagogical Feature
References
10 Existential Activism: The Complex Contestations of Trans Youth
Introduction
Contesting Common Sense— “The Natural Attitude”
Contesting the Authority of Science
Contesting the Authority of the State
Contesting Religious Authorities
Contesting Injustice
Subverting the Accredited Gender Order
Pedagogical Feature
References
11 Critical Literacies and the Conditions of Decolonial Possibility
Introduction
Power, Place, and Space
Enter Decoloniality
Political-Pedagogical Practice: Critical Literacies and Critical Multimodal Discourse Analysis
Designing Conditions of Decolonial Possibility: The Pedagogical-Political Activists
(De)Activating Our Political Voices
Seeing Power: Problematising the Commonplace
Assertions of Self
Conclusion and Recommendations
Pedagogical Feature
References
12 Conclusion: International Perspectives on Youth Political Mobilisations
Education: Where Inclusive Praxis and Discourse Meet Institutionalisation
Allies: Promoting Visibility and Eradicating Silence
Causes, Contradictions and Complexities
Pedagogical Features
Final Reflections
References
Index
