Youth of the Global South and Why They Are Worth Studying

While real place-based differences exist between groups of youth, the simple global North-South binary is problematic. This essay explores this paradox arguing that differences and the binary itself are the result of historical processes that are continually in flux. These histories-in-the-present are illuminated with descriptive statistics (wealth, violence, human development, inequality) that illustrate empirical differences between Southern and Northern youth. Unpacking the concept of Southern youth using Southern theory shows that material conditions in the Global South mean that many more Southern youth diverge from what is considered a normal transition into adulthood in industrialized nations in late modernity, with implications for the category or life-phase of ‘youth.’ The concepts of ‘precarity’ and the practice of ‘the hustle’ are then used to suggest how a Global South youth studies agenda might simultaneously center issues like livelihoods, struggle, and the formation of sociopolitical consciousness. Southern youth as maestros of the hustle simultaneously assert a form of being young that is not based on deficit or romanticism, is thoroughly modern, and which foreground material realities.

Conscientization Calls: A White Dual Language Educator’s Development of Sociopolitical Consciousness and Commitment to Social Justice

Literature is limited demonstrating how some in-service teachers have developed sociopolitical consciousness and why they commit to social justice. Drawing on interviews, email correspondence, and Facebook postings collected throughout a school year, this article shows the life experiences of one white dual language educator who developed sociopolitical consciousness and a commitment to social justice as a result of what I refer to as conscientization calls based on personal experiences and observed inequities affecting minoritized populations in U.S. and Latin American contexts. This article makes a call to promote educational equity by helping privileged pre-service and in-service teachers by using, as pedagogical tools, conscientization calls they might have received throughout their lives.

Computing with Relevance and Purpose: A Review of Culturally Relevant Education in Computing

The purpose of the present review was to identify culturally responsive education (CRE) tools and strategies within K-12 computing education. A systematic literature review of studies on CRE across 20 years was conducted. A narrative synthesis was applied to code the final studies into six themes: sociopolitical consciousness raising, heritage culture through artifacts, vernacular culture, lived experiences, community connections, and personalization. These common themes in CRE can help empower and attend to the needs of marginalized students in technology education. Furthermore, the review serves as an important overview for researchers and educators attempting to achieve equity in computing education.

Healing-Informed Social Justice Mathematics: Promoting Students’ Sociopolitical Consciousness and Well-Being in Mathematics Class

Using an ecological approach to trauma-informed care and radical healing, this case study explores how one Title I public middle school mathematics classroom offered students opportunities to engage in healing practices through the use of Social Justice Mathematics. Findings indicate that students identified their emotions, engaged in structural analyses of local social issues, and expressed plans to take action. This study suggests the possibility of using a Healing-Informed Social Justice Mathematics approach to support development of students’ sociopolitical consciousness, mathematics learning, and well-being.

“Color Does Not Equal Consciousness”: Educators of Color Learning to Enact a Sociopolitical Consciousness

This study is based on an initiative for increasing college and career readiness for Black and Latino male high school students in New York City. From data that include 58 total hours of participant observations from 24 educators of color, written documentation from culturally relevant education–professional development (CRE-PD) activities, and transcripts of six group interviews, we examine these educators’ work to further their own sociopolitical consciousness in relation to increasing Black and Latino male students’ college and career readiness. We explore how secondary educators of color utilize pedagogical tools and practices in attempting to support their Black and Latino male students’ navigation of particular inequities related to college knowledge and access. Our findings highlight educators’ experiential knowledge as a pedagogical tool, approaches to preparing students for postsecondary opportunities, and missed opportunities to enact a sociopolitical consciousness. Recommendations for inservice educator PD and future research are discussed.