Politics, anti-politics, quiescence and radical unpolitics: young men's political participation in an ‘ordinary’ English town

McDowell, Linda; Rootham, Esther; Hardgrove, Abby

doi:10.1080/13676261.2013.825709

Cited by 15 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…My co‐workers and I recently reworked this idea in our study of young men in Luton (McDowell et al . ). Others have turned to ideas about prefigurative or generative politics (Smucker 2013 2014), developed in work with unemployed youth in India by Jeffrey and Dyson ().…”

Section: Three Common Themes and Issuesmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…In my own recent work, with Esther Rootham and Abby Hardgrove, I have explored some of the consequences of austerity and precarity for young men, both British born and those who were born elsewhere, living and looking for work in Luton and Swindon (McDowell et al . 2013 2014). As yet, however, the Government seems unwilling to listen to geographers and others and to act to reduce inequality.…”

Section: Introduction: a Cold New (Uk) World?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Youth, children and families in austere times: change, politics and a new gender contract

McDowell

2016

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Section: Three Common Themes and Issuesmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introduction: a Cold New (Uk) World?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Youth, children and families in austere times: change, politics and a new gender contract

McDowell

2016

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“…Finally, we engage with existing scholarship on anti-politics, which we define as the increasing apathy citizens feel towards politics, resulting in what Corbett (2015) terms as "corrosive cynicism". The anti-politics sentiment has been identified as an important contemporary phenomenon across parts of Europe, North America, Australasia and elsewhere (for examples see Boswell and Corbett, 2015, McDowell et al, 2014, Saunders, 2014. An IPSOS Mori survey of 25 countries published in 2018 indicates that 63 per cent of people believe that politicians do not care for the average person, whilst 59 per cent feel that their traditional parties and representatives do not care about them.…”

Section: C) General Anti-politics Sentimentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The anti-politics sentiment has been identified as an important contemporary phenomenon across parts of Europe, North America, Australasia and elsewhere (e.g. see Boswell and Corbett, 2015; Dalton, 2004; McDowell et al, 2014; Müller, 2016; Saunders, 2014). An Ipsos MORI (2018) survey of 25 countries published in 2018 indicates that 63% of people believe that politicians do not care for the average person, while 59% feel that their traditional parties and representatives do not care about them.…”

Section: Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

One moment, please: Can the speed and quality of political contact affect democratic health?

Soo

Weinberg

Dommett

2020

The British Journal of Politics and International Relations

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Contact between politicians and their constituents is the cornerstone of democracies globally but an area of scholarship that remains relatively underdeveloped. Political contact can help convey authority, provide legitimacy and facilitate governance. This article goes beyond the assumption that representatives need to communicate more with the public and suggests, instead, that the quality of contact matters. Focusing on four processes by which citizens can contact their representatives (face-to-face, by letter, email or social media), we employ an experimental vignette methodology to test whether the character and timeliness of politicians’ responses to citizen communication affects two indicators of democratic health: (a) the latter’s satisfaction with political contact and (b) their likelihood to re-contact representatives. Our findings provide evidence that personalised communication and to a smaller extent, speed of response, can influence citizen satisfaction and their likelihood of re-engagement. This suggests politicians can improve these indicators of democratic health by adjusting the style of political contact and communication.

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“…Rather, as in Eastern Europe since 1989 and as context for the subsequent 'colour revolutions', indignation and outrage can be there all the time before suddenly erupting in short-lived outbursts of protest (Benedicto 2008). Inactive youth may be 'radically unpolitical' (disenchanted with all politicians and lacking confidence in existing political processes) rather than 'apolitical' (McDowell, Rootham, and Hardgrove 2013).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Youth mobilisations and political generations: young activists in political change movements during and since the twentieth century

Roberts

2015

Journal of Youth Studies

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This paper uses political generations theory to examine the main youth mobilisations during and since the twentieth century: pre-1939 fascist and communist movements; the student movements of the 1960s and 70s; movements that challenged colonial and neo-colonial rulers in less developed countries and young people's involvement in the revolutions that saw the end of communism in East-Central and South-East Europe in 1989. Conclusions from this review of the past are used in considering the likely significance of subsequent outbursts of political activism among young people: the 'colour revolutions' and other instances of youth mobilisation in former Soviet republics and other ex-communist countries; the Arab Spring and the series of movements that have challenged neo-liberalism -Anti-Globalisation, the Indignados and the Occupy movements. The paper notes that youth mobilisations that have led to the formation of new political generations that have changed their countries' politics then transformed the countries have typically extended over several decades, that initially youthful leaders have sometimes been middle-aged or older before achieving political power and that many of their actions on achieving power have been at variance with their youthful ideals. In conclusion, it is argued that it is still too early to tell whether any of the recent youth mobilisations signal the formation of new political generations.

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Politics, anti-politics, quiescence and radical unpolitics: young men's political participation in an ‘ordinary’ English town

Cited by 15 publications

References 30 publications

Youth, children and families in austere times: change, politics and a new gender contract

Youth, children and families in austere times: change, politics and a new gender contract

One moment, please: Can the speed and quality of political contact affect democratic health?

Youth mobilisations and political generations: young activists in political change movements during and since the twentieth century

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