Abstract
There is wide recognition that children’s lives are directly affected by inequitable practices in relation to aspects of identity such as gender, ethnicity, class, and citizenship. Yet, despite this acknowledgement, few scholars have explored how children are challenging inequities. This examination of the actions and stories of one-nine-year-old female addresses that silence. Data analysis illustrates the ways in which she was enacting social activist tenets. Also illuminated are the hurdles inherent to adult recognition of children’s activism. These findings underline the problematic role that deficit framings of children play in our understanding of their perspectives and capabilities.
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Lisa Simon is an Assistant Professor in the Transformative Literacy Program at City College-City University of New York. Her research and teaching interests examine approaches that can support children and youth’s access in educational settings. Particular emphases include critical multimodal literacy and the cultural resources of children’s health management.
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Simon, L. Working to Change the World: An Examination of One Child’s Social Activism. Urban Rev 42, 296–315 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-009-0133-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-009-0133-2