The political socialization of youth in a post-conflict community

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Abstract

Political socialization affects the development of young people's attitudes in post-conflict societies. Political socialization may support a movement toward positive intergroup relations, or it may influence the perpetuation of intergroup tensions and divisions. In the context of Vukovar, Croatia, political socialization, for youth growing up in a post-conflict community, involves learning about social relations, including relational power and group status within a multi-ethnic community. The current study examines experiences of political socialization in this context. Qualitative data from ten focus groups, conducted among 11-, 13-, and 15-year-olds, mothers, and fathers of Serb and Croat ethnicity, are analyzed using the constant comparative method. Results indicate a belief in the importance of parents, peers, schools, and the media in the development of youth's political orientations, specifically related to intergroup relations. These attitudes are reflected in the lived realities of youth as political actors through their opinions toward intergroup interactions, their experiences of intergroup contact and conflict, and their beliefs about and recommendations for integrated education. Although some avoided any discussion of war, focus group participants’ predominant perspective reflected beliefs that the political socialization of youth operated to preserve intergroup tensions and division in Vukovar. The paper concludes with a number of policy and intervention implications.

Section snippets

The political socialization of youth in a post-conflict community

Nearly 100% of today's civil wars are characterized by ethnic conflict (UNICEF, 2009). In this increasingly prevalent context of ethno-political violence, young people are among those most greatly affected (Barber, 2009). Youth are impacted directly and indirectly by political violence, as combatants, as actors caught in the crossfire, or as witnesses to devastating loss and massive destruction (Cairns, 1996). The impact of political conflict on youth, however, extends beyond the cessation of

Design

This study utilized qualitative data from focus groups to explore what is considered to be the status quo by the participants (Stevenson & Muldoon, 2010). Focus groups are appropriate for research that aims to understand collective experiences (Denzin and Lincoln, 2005, Frankland and Bloor, 1998). They strike a balance between informal talk and structured interviews (Puchta & Potter, 2004) and enable the discovery of emergent themes and the rich illustration of participants’ experiences (

Results

The results focus on: (1) the agents of political socialization and the nature of their messages for young people, and (2) the lived realities of youth as political actors, demonstrating the effects of political socialization by maintaining or challenging the status quo of intergroup tension and division in Vukovar. Participants noted that explicit messages of political socialization were conveyed by four primary agents: parents, peers, schools, and the media.

Discussion

This study aimed to understand the varying roles that agents play in the political socialization of youth in Vukovar, Croatia. It sought to explore the nature and content of the politically-relevant attitudes being transmitted to youth, and the lived realities of youth as political actors. First, qualitative analyses revealed a belief in the importance of parents, peers, schools, and the media in the development of youth's political attitudes. Second, youth participants demonstrated socialized

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by grants to E. Mark Cummings from the University of Notre Dame Faculty Scholarship Award Program, Office of the Vice President for Research; the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts; the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies; the Nanovic Institute for European Studies; and to Catherine M. Reidy from the University of Notre Dame Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement; the University of Notre Dame Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program;

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