Aware, Complacent, Discouraged, Empowered: Students’ Diverse Civic Identities Available to Purchase

Based on a qualitative study of civic discourse in four distinct school settings, this article describes how students’ civic identities—the sense of who one is as an American citizen—are rooted in their experiences in particular schools and communities. Students’ developing civic identities vary from aware and empowered to complacent and discouraged, depending on their experiences both in and out of school. A civic education that taps into these experiences may be successful at creating a more active, engaged citizenry. This article describes a new understanding of youth civic identity and a problem-posing approach to civic education.