Lessons in Empowerment: The Civic Potential of Historically Grounded Conversations among Racially Marginalized Youth

• Published date: 01 January 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00027162231188576
• Author: Matthew D. Nelsen
• Date: 01 January 2023
• Subject Matter: Civic Empowerment of Underrepresented Communities

174 ANNALS, AAPSS, 705, January 2023

DOI: 10.1177/00027162231188576

Lessons in

Empowerment:

The Civic

Potential of

Historically

Grounded

Conversations

among Racially

Marginalized

Youth

By

MATTHEW D. NELSEN

1188576ANN The Annals Of The American AcademyLessons In Empowerment

research-article2023

Civic education is associated with the development of

democratic capacity. However, this concept is meas-

ured using a limited battery of metrics (e.g., trust in

government) that do not adequately capture the politi-

cal sentiments of racially marginalized youth. Drawing

from conversations with Chicago high school students

and their teachers, I argue that democratic capacity

should comprise a broader set of attitudes and behav-

iors, including political empowerment and acts of pub-

lic voice. In the process, I identify one pedagogical

technique associated with the development of empow-

erment: historically grounded conversations about poli-

tics that validate students’ distrust of government.

Nationally representative survey data suggests that civic

learning experiences of this kind are associated with

feelings of political empowerment and that empower-

ment is associated with multiple forms of political par-

ticipation, particularly among Black and Latinx youth.

Overall, this study provides a path forward for those

interested in reimagining civic education in the U.S.

Keywords: race; open classrooms; democratic capac-

ity; public voice; political empowerment

Civic education courses are believed to con-

tribute to democratic capacity—the knowl-

edge, attitudes, skills, and behaviors that allow

young people to participate in politics (Levinson

2012)—but their effectiveness has traditionally

been measured using a limited battery of

systems-justifying metrics such as trust in gov-

ernment and external efficacy (Jost and van der

Toorn 2012). But should young people, and

particularly young people of color, be taught to

trust and believe in the responsiveness of gov-

ernment? I argue that such an approach to civic

Correspondence: mdn475@miami.edu

Matthew D. Nelsen is an assistant professor of political

science at the University of Miami. His research exam-

ining civic education was awarded the American

Political Science Association’s E.E. Schattschneider

Award for best doctoral dissertation in the field of

American government in 2022.

LESSONS IN EMPOWERMENT 175

education risks invalidating the lived experiences of many racially marginalized

youth, who may have good reasons for distrusting government (Cohen 2012;

hooks 1994; Junn 2004; Weaver and Geller 2019). To address this concern, this

article presents an expanded conception of democratic capacity, one that takes

into account a broader set of attitudes and behaviors. This form of democratic

capacity, I argue, can foster a sense of empowerment among young people to take

political action in ways that address their distrust and cynicism toward govern-

ment.

The article proceeds in three parts. First, drawing on data from focus groups

with high schoolers in Chicago, I highlight the shortcomings of existing concep-

tions of democratic capacity and argue that it should comprise a much broader

set of attitudes and behaviors, including feelings of empowerment and acts of

public voice. An approach to civic education that seeks to foster this broader

democratic capacity is particularly meaningful for racially marginalized youth

who have legitimate reasons for distrusting political institutions and who seek to

reimagine democracy.

Second, I draw on in-depth interviews with high school social studies teachers

in Chicago to highlight one pedagogical technique associated with the develop-

ment of this expanded conception of democratic capacity: historically grounded

conversations about politics that validate and contextualize students’ distrust of

government. Enacting this pedagogical approach answers calls to more rigorously

assess how various social contexts shape how discourse manifests in the classroom

(Barber, Clark, and Torney-Purta 2021), especially for marginalized youth

(Rubin, El-Haj, and Bellino 2021).

Third, I assess this theory of democratic capacity using a national-representa-

tive survey of young adults. I find that historically grounded conversations about

politics are associated with feelings of political empowerment and that empower-

ment is associated with multiple forms of political participation, particularly

among Black and Latinx youth.

Taken together, the evidence presented in this article offers one potential path

forward for those interested in reforming civic education courses in the U.S. By

building lessons around the political concerns of racially marginalized youth and

highlighting the innovative teaching practices already adopted by social studies

teachers, we can forge civic learning spaces that validate multiple forms of demo-

cratic capacity, including political empowerment.

Rethinking Democratic Capacity

Social studies courses are traditionally evaluated by examining how they impact

democratic capacity—the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors that allow

individuals to effectively participate in public life (Levinson 2012). This work

draws heavily from the civic voluntarism model, which suggests that access to

important resources, including education, is a critical factor in whether individu-

als participate in politics (Verba, Schlozman, and Brady 1995). The core idea is