The Politics of Deception

Youth Political Participation in an Age of Global Crises

Judith Bessant and Rob Watts illustrate how youth participation, as it is commonly practised, is deeply political, deceptive, highly contested and too often informed by outdated and harmful representations of young people.

In a time of global crises, governments, international agencies and various experts claim to promote political participation that is inclusive of children and young people. This book details how these claims tend to be deceptive.

The Politics of Deception demonstrates how youth parliaments, councils and roundtables are governance exercises not just designed and tightly managed by adults but limited by them. Informed by adultist ways of seeing, young people are represented as vulnerable and citizens-in-waiting and cannot be taken seriously as political agents. Parallel to these formal initiatives, large numbers of young people are recognising the interconnected nature of contemporary crises, mobilising politically in diverse ways, from street marches to digital action, to strategic litigation and even ‘lying flats’ to push for equality, social justice and planetary survival. Animated by optimism and recognition that intergenerational solidarity is essential for creating a future in which humans and ‘more-than-humans’ can flourish, Judith Bessant and Rob Watts illustrate how youth participation, as it is commonly practised, is deeply political, deceptive, highly contested and too often informed by outdated and harmful representations of young people.

This volume is for young people, researchers, policymakers, parents and educators wanting to better understand what is happening in the world and who appreciate the value of recognising young people’s political capacity and right to help shape the world.

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