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Moving from Complaints to Action: Oppositional Consciousness and Collective Action in a Political Community
Author(s) -
Kwon Soo Ah
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
anthropology and education quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.531
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1548-1492
pISSN - 0161-7761
DOI - 10.1111/j.1548-1492.2008.00005.x
Subject(s) - critical consciousness , sociology , pacific islanders , consciousness , collective action , ethnography , politics , gender studies , political consciousness , consciousness raising , community organizing , action (physics) , social movement , youth studies , social change , social justice , criminology , political science , public relations , law , psychology , anthropology , ethnic group , pedagogy , physics , quantum mechanics , neuroscience
This article analyzes the process of youth political activism and development by drawing on ethnographic research on Asian and Pacific Islander youth activists. Young people revealed that collective action begins with a critical analysis of their lived experiences with inequalities. Their actions also involved oppositional consciousness that was nurtured in social justice‐oriented community organizations. Tracking youth's successful efforts for school reform, I show how oppositional consciousness is realized and what activism looks like in practice. [youth activism, oppositional consciousness, social–educational change, Asian and Pacific Islanders]