Description
Book SynopsisExplores how teenage girls construct activist identities, rejecting and re-defining girlhood and claiming political authority for youth in the process
Trade Review"Jessica K. Taft describes how teenage girls are active participants and leaders in a variety of social movements, from anti-war walkouts to anarchist youth newspapers, rallies against educational privitization, and workshops on fair trade." * Z Magazine *
"Taft adds a valuable contribution to youth, girlhood, and activist studies." -- R.C. Raby * Choice *
"This is not only a powerful sociological account of the making of a counter-culture girl identitythat of the socially active, community-minded girl; it is also a treasure trove of data." -- Maya Bernstein * Lilith Magazine *
"Rebel Girls serves the important purpose of bringing to light and describing a marginalized aspect of activist culture." -- Emily Abrahams * Shameless *
"From interviews with seventy-six teenage girls in five locations and from observations of their political strategies, Taft builds an in-depth picture of girl activism in different socio-cultural and political environments, comparing the more politicized and radical activism in Latin America to that practiced in North America." -- Hilary Crew * VOYA Library Magazine *
"In Rebel Girls, Jessica K. Taft introduces readers to a cadre of girl activists who remain invisible to scholars of both girlhood and social movements. . . Taft unveils the intricate processes through which girl activists contruct collective identities and political strategies within contexts that take neither girl nor youth political activism seriously." -- Heather Hensman Kettrey * Mobilization *
"Taft demonstrates...capacity for nuance." -- Courtney E. Martin * Women's Review of Books *
"In this riveting book, Taft takes us on a journey from San Francisco to Mexico City, Caracas, Vancouver, and Buenos Aires to learn about girls struggles for social justice in a variety of social movements." -- Verta Taylor,co-author of Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments 1 Introduction: Growing Up and Rising UpPart 1: Building the Activist Identity 2 We Are Not Ophelia: Empowerment and Activist Identities 3 We Are Not the Future: Claiming Youth Authority 4 We Are Not Girls: Escaping and Defining GirlhoodPart 2: Making Change Happen 5 The Street Is Our Classroom: A Politics of Learning 6 Join the Party: A Politics of Participation 7 We've Got Spirit: A Politics of Hope 8 Conclusion: Still Rising Methodological Appendix Demographic Tables Notes Index About the Author
