Miranda Yates and James Youniss have brought together an international collection of essays that describe the state of community participation among the world's youth. Authors from around the globe use empirical data to present portraits of youth constructing their civic identities through such means as community service. Youth seek to resolve ideological tensions, such as in Northern Ireland and Palestine; to overcome corrupting political practices, such as in Italy and Taiwan; to deal with disillusionment, such as in Palestine and the emerging Eastern European nations; and to bridge barriers against youth's meaningful participation in the working of society, such as in Canada and Japan. Special conditions, such as the diminution of the welfare state, for instance, in former West Germany, and the rapid turn towards democracy in former East Germany offer insight into the process through which youth try to establish meaningful person-state relationships.
• Cross-cultural data on youth's political actions • Theoretical perspectives on pressing social policy issues • Reports data on community service participation and programs
Contents
Preface; List of contributors; Introduction: international perspectives on the roots of civic identity James Youniss and Miranda Yates; 1. Community service and political-moral discussions among adolescents: a study of a mandatory school-based program in the United States Miranda Yates; 2. Social and family determinants of community service involvement in Canadian youth S. Mark Pancer and Michael W. Pratt; 3. Exploring adolescent altruism: British young people's involvement in voluntary work and campaigning Debi Roker, Katie Player and John Coleman; 4. Youth, solidarity, and civic commitment in Italy: an analysis of the personal and social characteristics of volunteers and their organizations Elena Marta, Giovanna Rossi and Lucia Boccacin; 5. Political socialization in the new states of Germany Hans Oswald; 6. Community service and social cognitive development in German adolescents Manfred Hofer; 7. Adolescents and the 'social contract': developmental roots of citizenship in seven coutries Connie Flanagan, Brita Jonsson, Luba Botcheva, Beno Csapo, Jennifer Bowes, Peter Macek, Irina Averina and Elena Sheblanova; 8. Political socialization in a divided society: the case of Northern Ireland Jean Whyte; 9. Youth experience in the Palestinian Intifada: a case study in intensity, complexity, paradox, and competence Brian K. Barber; 10. Beyond the call of duty: the service of Israeli youth in military and civic contexts Rachel Seginer; 11. Recent trends in civic engagement among Japanese youth Keiko Takahashi and Giyoo Hatano; 12. Learning politics in the crucible: the socialization of Taiwan high school students as citizens in a new democracy Perri Strawn; Conclusion: transcending themes Miranda Yates and James Youniss; Indexes.
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