Cover

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Title Page, Copyright

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Contents

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Series Foreword

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pp. vii-viii

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning, published by the MIT Press in collaboration with the Monterey Institute for Technology and Education (MITE), present findings from current research on how young people learn, play, socialize, and participate in civic...

Acknowledgments

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pp. ix-x

I am so grateful to be part of the following network of researchers who codeveloped the concept of participatory politics offered here, produced key studies, and shared crucial feedback as I prepared this piece: Danielle Allen, Cathy Cohen, Jennifer Earl, Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, Howard Gardner, Mimi Ito, Henry...

Introduction

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pp. 1-8

In 2012, 24-year-old Pendarvis Harshaw was finishing up some college courses and working as a mentor for the local school district. Over spring break, he set off on a road trip to visit his father, whom he hadn’t seen in 18 years. It was through his uncle on Facebook that Pen had tracked down his dad. Pen flew...

Participatory Politics: What Sets It Apart?

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pp. 9-14

Consider some of the activities Pen and his community carried out in his storytelling project. They circulated information, activating various channels, including self-publication through personal outlets, while also pursuing third-party distribution. They sparked dialogue, not only telling but also hearing; Pen deliberately...

Five Tactics of Participatory Politics

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pp. 15-50

Mobilizing civic capacity within networks that form out of shared personal and popular culture interests and communities.
The opening example of Pendarvis Harshaw’s distribution strategy for a story ignored by mainstream news outlets is an instance of pivoting his public. As noted earlier, Pen’s friends...

Literacies That Support Participatory Politics

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pp. 51-62

For the five tactics I have presented here, the trick, of course, is knowing how to utilize these activities in ways that achieve the desired effects on issues of public concern. It’s one thing to name some tactics young people are using to have a voice and exert influence on public affairs. It’s another thing entirely to...

Mind the Risks

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pp. 63-68

Now I will address a series of concerns that merit serious attention as we work to encourage the strengths and minimize the risks of next-generation civic engagement. Digital tools remove some of the barriers to civic participation, but they also eliminate some of the safeguards that have traditionally been in place...

Concluding Thoughts

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pp. 69-74

In this report, I have drawn from the Youth and Participatory Politics Research Network and other sources to identify a set of emerging tactics young people are using to engage with and remake public spheres, often deploying digital and social media tools in intriguing ways. I have linked those tactics to a series of...

Notes

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pp. 75-76

References

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pp. 77-86

Other Works in the Series

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