Political Socialization: Agents, Contexts, and Generational Memories

1. Political socialization 2005-2006Leiden Uni, Fac Soc Sci, Dep Pol SciLecture 1 – 08.02.2006 Aim and outline : course manual Active participation : active learning, assignments, workshops Today’s lecture : field and questions of political socialization Close : discussion on your biography and learning question(s) Next time 15.02.2006 : Lecture 2 on concepts of (political) socialization bring 1 A4 on your biography and learning question(s)

2. Wuthnow (1991) : (The) essential concern is with the collective, not necessarily in the sense of the entire society, but with the relationship among individuals, between individuals and communities and among communities... Thus the arena of questions about the desirable in social conduct: How shall we live as a people? What do we hold as priorities? To what ends shall we allocate our time, our energy, our collective resources? Where do we locate hope? How do we envision the good? Field and questions Rough definition of political socialization : to acquire AND actively shape political AND civic values, norms, opinions. attitudes and routines Why AND ?

3. Field and questions Agents and contexts ; Agency and structure family social network school workplace media / corporate industry civic organizations politics church Which specific persons / groups / institutions / objects / events !? Hannam (2000) : “Learning about democracy and citizenship when I was at school was a bit like reading holiday brochures in prison. Unless you were about to be let our or escape, it was quite frustrating and seemed pointless”

4. Field and questions Agents and contexts ; Agency and structure Old-style distinction : socializers and socializees Why old-style ? What would be a proper new framing ? What are consequences in terms of research questions ?

5. Free after a French saying : “Who is not left by age 20, has no heart; who is still left by 40, has no head” Field and questions ‘Impressionable years’ vs ‘life-long openness’ hypotheses what is taught in adolescence (15-25 year-old period) persists over the life course (stable cross-time correlations) and influences / structures later acquisition/shaping of values, norms etc. What does this mean for political change ? change during adulthood is normal and massive; learning does not stop after adulthood; especially because of life course transitions (life cycle changes) people change networks, friends, functions, etc. which in turn change their values, norms, etc. Think of your parents: did they change ? Are they exceptional compared to their contemporaries ?

6. Generations and collective memories: Schuman & Scott (1989) for US; Ester, Vinken & Diepstraten (2002) for NL Field and questions Top ten important events for society in the 20th century % 1 World War II 77 2 fall Berlin Wall 15 3 advancements in ICT 12 4 first man on the moon 6 5 other wars/wars in general 5 6 nuclear energy/arms race 4 7 World War I 4 8 abolition apartheid 3 9 1953 flood disaster 3 television 3 (1999; N = 1, 303) No generational differences in mentions above

7. Generations and collective memories: Schuman & Scott (1989) for US; Ester, Vinken & Diepstraten (2002) for NL Field and questions Reasons World War II (N=986) % who more 1 world impact 22 2 value of freedom 13 3 shows man is evil 11 <35 4 ‘Nie Wieder’ 9 <35 5 world order 9 35-54 6 lives lost/destruction 8 7 war experience 6 55+ 8 reconstruction 6 don’t know/no answer 8 <35 Mentioning the war is not generational, the meaning of it is

8. Generations and collective memories: Schuman & Scott (1989) for US; Ester, Vinken & Diepstraten (2002) for NL Field and questions Reasons fall Berlin Wall (N=194) % who more 1 world impact 30 2 end cold war 21 35-54 3 value of freedom 19 4 else 16 5 don’t know/no answer 9 Mentioning the Wall is not generational, the meaning of it is

9. Generations and collective memories: Schuman & Scott (1989) for US; Ester, Vinken & Diepstraten (2002) for NL Field and questions Reasons advancements in ICT (N=150) % who more 1 world access/global village 43 2 quality of life/labor 19 55+ 3 change (vague) 17 4 else 12 5 don’t know/no answer 9 Mentioning ICT is not generational, the meaning of it is

10. Field and questions Rise, fall, and rejuvenation end 1950s : Hyman’s learning to be a political being; the search for amorphous / generalized political values, norms etc. in childhood ; psychologists dominate the field early 1980s : turn away from stability, functionalist, determinative and bourgeois assumptions; critical, constructivist, non-survey oriented political science dominate mid-late 1990s : life-long learning, civic engagement, new eye for generational, life course and agency impacts; interdisciplinarity and large-scale survey analyses on the rise

11. Field and questions New times, new questions, new variables increased role of individual to shape own values etc. increased global trans- and interactions increased impact of (new) media and logic of consumption Think of new questions and new variables Norris (1999) : “Compared with earlier decades, by the end of the century citizens may not be joining the Elks or striking in trade unions or demonstrating about civil rights, any more than they are hulahooping or watching sputnik or going to discos”