Supported by a grant from the Spencer Foundation
Collaborators: Rachel M. Hershberg, Ph.D., University of Washington at Tacoma
Critical consciousness is the process through which people who experience oppression become aware of systemic inequalities and take action to address them. Although multiple systems of power and privilege intersect in shaping people’s experiences (e.g., racism, sexism, classism), little research has focused on how these forces shape the nature and development of critical consciousness among youth. Youth critical consciousness is important because many of them currently or eventually will occupy positions of power.
This project is a mixed methods investigation of how critical consciousness manifests among young people who occupy social categories that are mixed with regard to privilege, whether those manifestations are related to group memberships, and what life experiences may be associated with their critical consciousness. We will use latent profile analyses to identify different potential types of critical consciousness (e.g., acknowledging racism but not sexism or classism), and in-depth interviews to investigate how participants with different manifestations of critical consciousness describe their life experiences. Findings will advance research and practice about how all youth can contribute to the promotion of social justice, and how educators aiming to promote critical consciousness in different groups of youth can approach this significant and important challenge.
