Roots of Civic Identity: International Perspectives on Community Service and Activism in Youth

This book brings together an international collection of essays that describes the state of community participation among the world’s youth. Authors from around the globe use fresh empirical data to present portraits of contemporary youths constructing their civic identities through such means as community service and political activism. The image of Generation X as socially disconnected and apathetic is contradicted by young people’s efforts to comprehend the complexities of society and to work toward the realization of social-moral ideals. The findings in this volume contribute to a theory of political socialization that bases youth’s understanding of political aspects of society and citizenship on participation in community and civic activities, rather than on the intake of abstract pieces of formal information. To this end, youth seek to resolve ideological tensions, such as in Northern Ireland and the Middle East; to overcome corrupting political practices, such as in Italy and Taiwan; to deal with disillusionment, such as in the emerging Eastern European nations; and to bridge barriers against youth’s meaningful participation in the working of society, such as in Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Researchers in a wide array of fields, including psychology, sociology, political science, and education will find this book to be a valuable resource.