Changing Citizenship in the Digital Age

           This post is a summary of the book with the title above and was published in 2008 at  https://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/content/9780262524827_sch_0001.pdf

           Democracy is not a sure thing. Governments and party systems often strain against changes in societies, and some fall prey to corruption and bad policies. Under the right conditions, people may reassert their right to govern, and produce remarkable periods of creative reform, realignment, and change. In these times, politics becomes a focus of personal life itself, restoring the sense that participation makes a difference. The challenges of influencing the course of nations and addressing global issues may inspire creative solutions from citizens who have access to digital communications. It is clear that many citizens of this digital age have demonstrated interests in making contributions to society. Yet the challenge of engaging effectively with politics that are linked to spheres of government remains, for most, a daunting prospect. The reasons are numerous. A casual look at world democracies suggest that many are showing signs of wear. Parties are trying to reinvent themselves while awkwardly staying the course that keeps them in power. The trend in dissatisfaction with conventional politics engagement are not just occurring in the U.S. The pathways to disconnection from government are many: citizens are frequently negative about politics, the tone of the press is often cynical, candidates seldom appeal directly to voters on their own terms about their concerns, politicians have poisoned the public well with vitriol and negative campaigning, and people see the media filled with inauthentic performances from officials who are staged by professional communication managers. Paralleling these developments has been a notable turning away from public life into online networks. Where political activity occurs, it is often related to lifestyle concerns that seem outside the realm of government. Many observers properly note that there are signs of civic engagement in these nongovernmental areas, including increases in volunteer work, high levels of activism, and impressive involvement in social causes. Many of the spontaneous forms of collective expression online seem more appealing than the options typically offered in engagements sites sponsored by parties and governments. This exchange, along with many others, show that the same evidence can be interpreted differently when placed in different paradigm frames. The engaged youth viewpoint, in a sense, empowers people by recognizing personal expression and their capacity to project identities in collective spaces. The future of democracy is in the hands of these citizens of the so-called digital age. These new media reposition their users in society, making them both producers and consumers of information. Perhaps more important, they enable rapid formation of large-scale networks that may focus their energies in critical moments. In other cases, applications of digital media do seem to bridge, and at times, transcend the conventional boundaries between different kinds of political organizations such as parties, interest groups, and social movements. Despite these and other signs of potential to revive and perharps reinvent politics among next generations citizens, two trends seem to hold: 1) The majority of those communicating with young people about politics continue to do so in tired top-down, highly managed ways that most young people find inauthentic. 2) What young people do online tends to be largely social and entertainment oriented, with only tangential pathways leading to conventional civic and political world. These two patterns are most likely related to each other. For example, in order to learn how to expand youth involvement, politicians, policymakers and educators need to communicate differently with young citizens. And in order for citizens to feel confortable engaging in politics, they need to feel invited to participate on their own terms, and to learn who to use their digital tools to better express their voices. Resolving dissonant perceptions of proper citizenship and participation, while suggesting ways in which media may help better connect people to public life, may enable future generations to reinvent their democracies. The challenge for civic education and engagement is to begin by recognizing the profound generational shift in citizenship style that seems to be occurring in most of the postindustrial democracies. There is need for caution and creativity in thinking about implementing more creative approaches to engage young people in communication with each other about real political concerns. Many scholars have discovered a shift in value in postindustrial democracies in which people are more inclined to become interested in personally meaningful, lifestyle-related political issues, rather than party or ideological programs. These citizens seek public commitments and issues that fit with the values at the center of personal lifestyles, giving rise to trends in politics, for example. What is needed is research that combines principles underlying both citizenship styles. That is, research aimed at identifying and assessing strategies of engagement that appeal to citizens while creating connections to government that help promote democratic ideals. Depending on how the above learning scenarios play out, there are several different scenarios for future engagement. It is important to understand that these developments need not be left to their own evolution or devolution. In the process of synthesizing what we know about engagement we, academics, educators, policymakers, NGOs, journalists, foundations, public officials, and young people, can make choices about what outcomers are desirable. If nothing is done to bridge the paradigms, the default scenarios will likely be persistent with youth disconnection from politics, with little reconciliation of the gap between different citizenship styles, and continuing unproductive paradigm battles in the academic world. A second scenario utilizes the possibilities for convergence of tech and political practices to bring vibrant experiences of politics into calssroom and even elections, showing young people how their concerns can gain public voice within the conventional arenas of power and decision making. The most important question before us is: What kind of democratic experiences would we choose for future generations? This is a properly political question, yet it is one that often chills creativity among government officials, educators, and NGOs, the very players with the capacity to make a defference in the potilical futures of young people. The outcomes for youth engagement, insofar as they involve the restoration of positive engagement with government alongside creative and expressive personal communication, depend importantly on the adults who shape the early political impressions of young people. Are politicians, parents, educators, policymakers, and curriculum developers willing to allow young citizens to more fully explore, experience, and expand democracy, or will they continue to force them to just read all about it?

240th Birthday of Jane Austen

                Last Wednesday, 6th of December, the British writer Jane Austen would complete 240 years old. When I was in the university studying literature I analysed her book, "Pride and Prejudice." Her novels can be considered as an early works of realism. A pioneer in social commentary. This post is a tribute to her. this post is a summary of five articles. The first published http://www.biography.com/people/jane-austen-9192819.The second summary was published at hesecretunderstandingofthehearts.blogspot.com.br/2015/12/happy-240th-birthday-jane. The third was at  http://www.mssresearch.org/q=Social_Evolution_in_Pride_Prejudice. The fourth summary was published at ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styles_and_themes_of_Jane_Austen. The fifth was published at http://24x7englishliteratureconcepts.blogspot.com.br/2009/10/pride-and-prejudice.html

                Jane Austen (1775-1817) was born in Steventon, England. While not widely known in her own time. Austen's novels of love among the landed gentry gained popularity after 1870, and her reputation skyrocketed in the 20th century. The 7th child and 2nd daughter of Cassandra and George Austen, Her father served as the Oxford-educated rector for a Anglican parish. The family was close and the children grew up in an environment that stressed learning and creative thinking. When Jane was young, she and her siblings were encouraged to read from their father's extensive library. Ever fascinated by the world of stories. In the 1790s, during her adolescence, she started to craft her own novels. She continued to write, developing her style in more ambitious works such as Lady Susan, another epistolary story about a manipulative woman. In 1801, Jane moved to Bath with her father, mother and Cassandra. Then, in 1805, her father died after a short illness. As a result, the family was thrust into financial straits. The three women moved from place to place, skipping between the homes of various family members to rented flats. It was not until 1809 that they were able to settle into a stable living situation at Jane's brother Edward's cottage in Chawton. Now in her 30s, Jane started to anonymously publish her works. In 1816, at the age of 41, Jane started to become ill with what some say might have been Addison's disease. She died in 1817, in Winchester, England. Today, Jane Austen is considered one of the greatest writers in English history, both by academics and the general public. Jane's transformation from little-known to internationally renowned author began in the 1920s, when scholars began to recognize her works as marterpieces, thus increasing her general popularity.

                  The works of Jane Austen can transport a reader to a world that exudes beauty, peace, wisdom, wit and love. Captivating audiences for 200 years, the works of Jane continue to capture today's readers in droves. Jane Austen is now what she never was in life, and what she would have been horrified to become, a literary celebrity. Austen's novels achieved a timelessness that makes them perennially appealing.  Kipling and Churchill found solace in her writings during times of war and illness. The TV hit Pride and Prejudice, The award-winning 1995 film Sense and Sensibility, and all the remakes and sequels. Modern-day Jane fans just can not seem to leave her characters.

                   Social analysis is a common feature of literary criticism. The social context and antecedent of authors and their fiction works are invariably examined in order to shed  light on the characters and events depicted in the stories. If literary works are influenced by the times in which they were written, it is equally true that the characters and events in fiction reflect on human character and the character of the times which they depict. The storyline of a novel may be fictitious, but the insights it can provide are very real and true to life. Pride and Prejudice was written during an epoch when France was in the midst of a violent revolutionary upheaval and vividly depicts the social response to those events in England. Pride and Prejudice depicts this silent process of social transformation in the lives of the English gentility. Thus, a charming story of romance and marriage becomes both a vehicle for and a product of social evolution. Any story reflects the mood of its period. The marriages of Darcy and Bingley are symptomatic of the mood of the period, the England in the beginning of the XIX century.

               Janes's distinctive literary style relies on a combination of parody, burlesque, irony, indirect speech and a degree of realism. She uses parody and burlesque for comic effect and to critique the portrayal of women in the 18th century in sentimental and gothic novels. Austen extends her critique by highlighting social hypocrisy through irony. She often creates an ironic tone through free speech in which the thoughts and words of the characters mix with the voice of the narrator.

              Pride and Prejudice continues to be popular today not only because of its memorable characters and the general appeal of the story, but also because of the skill with which it is told. In Pride and Prejudice (P.P) Austen display a masterful use of irony, dialogue, and realism that support the character development and heighten the experience of reading the novel. Jane Austen's irony is devastating in its exposure of foolishness and hypocrisy. Self-delusion or the attempt to fool other people is almost always the object of her wit. Dialogues play an important role in P.P. The pieces of dialogues are consistently the most vivid and important parts of the novel. This is natural because novels were mostly read aloud in Austen's time, so good dialogues was extremely important. We learn of the major turning points through the dialogues, and even intense inner change like Elizabeth's famous self-recognition scene is related as a person talking to herself. When considering Austen's realism, however, readers should recognize that her major weakness as a writer is related to her greatest strength. She writes about what she knows, and this means that great areas of human experince are never touched on. We never see that much of the male characters, and they are rough sketches compared with her heroines. People who dislike Jane's works often cite lack of extreme passion as their main reason. Even so, no one can deny her ability to create unforgettable characters, build well-structured plots, or deliver assessments of society with a razor-sharp wit. Austen's works possess a timeless quality, which makes her stories and themes as relevant today as they were two hundred years ago.

Human Rights Day 2015

              Last Thursday, 10th of December, all the world celebrated the human rights, we should all, make sure that these rights are respected, and when there is some violation, reparation must be done, because on the contrary, a dangerous precedent could happen, even taking to a dystopia. This post is a summary of four articles. The first was published at http://www.un.org/en/events/humanrightsday/. The second was published at  http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/human-rights-day-2015-what-it-what-theme-this-year-1532346. The third was published http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/events/prizes-and-celebrations/celebrations/international-days/human-rights-day-2015. The fourth was published at http://eeas.europa.eu/top_stories/2015/101215_human-rights-day_en.htm

              Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights(UDHR). This year's Human Rights Day is devoted to the launch of a year-long campaign for the 50th anniversary of the two international covenants on Human Rights: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The two Covenants, together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, form the International Bill of Human Rights, setting out rights that are the birth right of all human beings "Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Always." Aims to promote and raise awareness of the two Covenants on their 50th anniversary. The year-long campaign revolves around the themes of rights and freedoms, which underpin the International Bill of Human Rights are as relevant today as they were when were adopted 50 years ago.

               Human Rights Day is marked annually on 10 December to commemorate the day when was adopted the UDHR. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected. The theme for 2015 is "Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Always", to mark the launch of a one year campaign. The focus is on "freedoms", recalling the four freedoms that underpis the UDHR. The four freedoms are: freedom from fear, freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want. Many countries recognise human rights and the rule of law as the basis for fair and stable societies, but many states still have a lot to do to build political institutions, judicial systems that allow ordinary people to live with dignity. Among other problems, there is an ongoing justification of rights violations in the name of combatting terrorism and there is also the reversal of economic and social rights in the name of economic crises or security.

             There is a temptation, in order to counter violence and given the need to combat the threat of terrorism, to deny the fundamental rights and essential freedoms that are the foundation of life in society. Respect for rights is not an abstract commitment enshrined in a charter, it is a daily fight and every day we must renew the practical means of waging that fight. The adoption by the United Nations of the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is one of the steps, practical and political, to advancing human rights. UNESCO is mobilized in all its fields of competence to build this future of dignity for all. The full realization of human rights requires access for all to quality education. It requires freedom of expression and press freedom, the protection of journalists and the media. It includes the right of everyone to take part in cultural life. It involves the equitable sharing of progress in scientific research. To mark the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Economic, social and Cultural Rights, UNESCO is joining the campaign to be launched with the warchword "Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Always. Let us together give fresh impetus to respect for rights, and let us draw inspiration from the example of all those who are committed to defending them, thereby consolidating our shared humanity.

               In a declaration on behalf of the European Union the High Representative Federica Mogherini stated that "Against the background of the current increasing challenges to human rights and the rule of law, and in the context of a global economic crisis, poverty and inequalities, these treaties remain the bedrock of the EU's work on promoting and defending all human rights and fundamental freedoms, and are the vital international legal basis for their universality, indivisibility and interrelatedness." Mogherini referred to the new Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, which the EU adopted last July, and stated that "this place equal importance on all those rights and engages, through concrete actions, to promote them and ensure their fulfilment for all. Moreover, the EU has as ever dedicated to assist civil society organisations and all other actors, in advocating for the protection and respect of human rights, whether civil  and political or social, economic and cultural. The EU has itself is a compelling example of the benefits which flow from a vibrant civil society."

180th Birthday of Mark Twain

             Last Monday, on November 30th, the American writer Mark Twain would complete 180 years old. So this post is a tribute to him. This post is a summary of five articles. The first was published at http://www.cmgww.com/historic/twain/about/bio.htm. The second was published at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/northamerica/usa/12025693/On-the-trail-of-Mark-Twain.html. The third was published at http://theculturetrip.com/north america/usa/missouri/articles /mark-twain-and-the-shaping-of-american-literature-/. The fourth was published at -http://www.encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-2661800017/adventures-huckleberry-finn.html. The fifth was published at http://www.penguin.com/static/pdf/teachersguides/AdvHuckFinnTG.pdf

             Samuel Langhorne Clemens,(1835-1910) more known as Mark Twain, was the sixth child of John and Jane Clemens. Approximately four years after his birth, the family moved 35 miles east to the town of Hannibal. A growing port city that lay along the bank's of the Mississippi River, Hannibal was a stop for steam boats arriving from St.Louis and New Orleans. Samuel's father was a judge. As a youngster, Samuel was kept indoors because of poor health. However, by age nine, he was recovered. When Samuel was 12, his father died of pneumonia, and at 13, Samuel left school to become a printer's apprentice. After two years, he joined his brother's newspaper as a printer and editorial assistant. It was here that young Samuel found he enjoyed writing. At 17, he left Hannibal for a printer's job in St. Louis. He became a river pilot in 1858, his pseudonym, Mark Twain, comes from his days as a river boat pilot. Because the river trade was brought to a stand still by the Civil War in 1861, Mark Twain began working as a newspaper reporter. in 1870, Mark married Olivia Langdon, and they had four children.

             Few figures in the annals of literature can have generated more words than Mark Twain. If it was not the many works that this fabled giant of letters created during his 74-year lifetime, it was the reams of praise that have come afterwards. Whether or not, Mark Twain ranks as the greatest of all American novelist is perhaps an issue that can only be settled by a debate in some celestial bar with the spirits of Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck also in attendance. But there can be no doubt that, over a century on from his death, Twain's reputation in the literary firmament is still lofty indeed, his most important books- "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (1876) and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (1884) still in position as cornerstones of art in the English language.

               Although he was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, he will be forever known as the quintessential American writer Mark Twain. Raised in Hannibal, Missouri, Twain began his literary aspirations as a modest young journalist. But it was his quick wit and brilliantly use of a pen that catapult him into literary American royalty. Twain's childhood and adolescence served as the aspirations for his legendary novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer  (ATS) and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (AHF). Published first in 1876 in the wake of the violently turbulent American Civil War, ATS chronicles the mischievous adventures of a clever boy living on the bank of the Mississipi River. Tom Sawyer's streak of harmless trickery leads him to humorous scenarios and shapes this coming of age tale. Alongside his best friend, Huck Finn, Tom's adventurous and playful summer shenanigans of carefree youth takes a dark turn when the boys witness the murder of Dr.Robinson by the town outsider 'Joe' who then accusses a harmless town drunk, 'Muff Potter', of the murder. A summer of treasure hunting quickly unravels during a tense and unlawful trial with a mysterious conclusion. Both Tom Sawyer and its sequel in Huckleberry Finn are landmark texts not only in the canon of Twain's work, but also in that of American literature. His texts have an undeniable sense of place rooted in the speech of his characters. Descriptions of natural sights, smells and sounds of Missouri, display Twain's true craftsmanship as a novelist. His works are not just written texts, but tangible artifacts of both American literary and cultural history. Twain's critical eye, and ear, of social observation and political injustice of an often bigoted America, along with a clever tongue, much like that of his young heroes, has solidified his role as what no less than William Faulkner called 'The father of American Literature'.

                  Mark Twain's classic The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn is told from the point of view of Huck Finn, a barely literate teen who fakes his own death to escape his abusive, drunken father. He encounters a runaway slave named Jim, and the two embark on a raft journey down the Mississipi River. Through satire, Twain skewers the somewhat unusual definitions of "right" and "wrong" in the pre-Civil War South. The book is a sequel to another of the author's successdul adventure novel, The Adventure of Tom Sawyer. Although the books is much a "boys' novel", humorous, suspenseful and intended as entertainment, also addresses issues such as slavery, prejudice, hypocrisy and morality. Despite Twain's assurances, the book continue to spark controversy over its subject matter even today. Some modern critic argue that the book is inherently racist in its depiction of Jim and its frequent use of the term "nigger." Other critics, speaking in support of the book, point out that the terms used in the book are authentic to the story's setting, they also point out that Jim is the most heroic character in the novel, and is the only major character to demonstrate kindness and self-sacrifice. The book has generated so much critical material that a special edition was published in 1995 under the title of Adventures of Huck Finn: A Case Study in Critical Controversy. 

                 A study of Adventures of Huck Finn, is an adventure in understanding changes in America itself. The book at the center of American geography and consciousness, asks readers to reexamine definitions of "civilization" and freedom, right and wrong, social responsibility and inhumanity. Published at 1885, the novel recounts those pre-civil war days and the center of a shift from Romanticism to Realism in art and literature that would provide for a new way for Americans to express themselves. While the novel is not easy one to teach or to read, it is a important work in American literature, calling for a level of understanding of the Huck's narrative voice. Huck is too inocent and ignorant to understand what is wrong with his society and what is right about his own behavior. Twain, on the other hand, knows the score. Because it brings discussions of race, conformity, slavery, freedom, autonomy and authority, and so much more, students and teachers must be open about these subjects and consider strategies to encourage honest and respectful debate.