Roots of civic identity

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 fresh empirical data to present portraits of contemporary youth 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 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.